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4 



MAINE WOODS 

AND 

WATER FOLK, 

AND 

Stories of Hunting and Fishing. 




By H. L. GOODWIN, 
Known to the Sporting World as "Winchester," 
Correspondent for many publications. 



FARMINGTON, MAINE 
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR; 




1st COPY, 

1898= 



TWO WECErYED 



Copyright, i8q8, 

By H. L. Goodwin. 



All rights reserved. 



Press of H, L. Goodwin, Farmington, Maine. 



INTRODUCTION. 



To Sportsmen and Sportswomen who visit Maine : 

Day by day, month by month and year by year hunting and fishing, 
supplemented in thousands of cases by amateur photography and bicycl- 
ing/ are becoming more and more attractive to all people who are lovers 
of nature and its beauties, whether they be eminent clergymen, college 
presidents, makers ot our national laws, or humble laborers; whether 
they be men or women, young or old. Throughout the United States, 
and more particularly in the east, these sports are rapidly growing in 
popularity, and this is likely to continue, as long as the present fish and 
game conditions remain, or rather as long as the supply of fish and game 
is equal to the demand. 

The forests of Maine are acknowleded far and near as a paradise for 
sportsmen, and that the Maine fish and game preserves are superior to any 
other similar preserves in the eastern states is well known to sportsmen 
and to the public in general. The public press has set forth the advant- 
ages to be found in this state by the sportsman and sportswoman, and is 
continually reporting the new records of fish and game taken in the 
localities where they are found. This is particularly true of the sporting 
papers which make a specialty of hunting and fishing; still the whole 
story has never been told. 

The object of this book is to convey reliable information in regard to 
the different localities in the state of Maine where the more popular game 
animals and fish are found, and at the same time to interest and amuse 
the reader. 

The writer has visited the larger portion of the resorts of prominence 
in the state, and has endeavored to say the right thing about such as par- 
ticularly deserve special mention. I do not pretend to say that every 
resort has been mentioned, for this would not be true, though I have 
endeavored to slight none of the larger ones, and to mention as many of 
the smaller as possible. 

Doubtless I have expressed opinions that will not always be agreed 



4 



INTRODUCTION. 



with, but these opinions are largely based on the opinions of others, 
whose words should bear weight, and the theories here advanced are 
chiefly those of the oldest and best guides in the state. 

The stories and incidents related in this volume are true in the main, 
though in some instances names and dates have been changed at the 
request of those most interested. 

I hope that this book will prove of some interest to those who are 
fond of hunting and fishing, and of out-of-doors life, whether they are 
annual visitors to Maine or not, and that some new facts may be learned 
from its reading. Should this prove the case, my efforts will not be 
without success. 

Fraternally yours, 

H. L. GOODWIN. 

Farmington, Maine, March 10, i8q8. 



PART I. 



IN EARLY DAYS. 



F we are to believe the early New England tradi- 
tions, as we certainly must, what is now the 
state of Maine must have been, when first vis- 
ited by civilized man, a veritable paradise, a fair 
rival lo the ancient Garden of Eden, when viewed 
from the standpoint of the modern sportsman, 
whose greatest joys are associated with the syl- 
van wilds. 

The present state of Maine is a portion, and 
a very small portion at that, of a large territory, 
called "Norumbega" by the early settlers, and which was spoken of by 
many of the earliest writers as "Mavosheen." It was given its present 
name in 1639, when it was designated as the "Province of Mayne," 
though it did not become an independent state until 1820. 

The whole territory was then one vast forest, full of beasts and birds 
of all kinds adapted to the climate, including hundreds of thousands of 
the game birds and animals now so eagerly sought by the tourist sports- 
men who come here annually during the summer and autumn months. 
The lakes, rivers, and even the little brooks were teeming with trout and 
fish of all kinds, which the red men were wont to catch by their own 
peculiar methods with a skill which was the admiration and envy of the 
early pioneers. 

The greatest width of the state, from Quoddy Head to the New 
Hampshire line is 200 miles, and from Kittery to the north-eastern corner 
of the state is about 350 miles. The entire length of the shore line is 226 
miles. The area of Maine is 31,776 square miles, or 20,320,240 acres, and 




6 



IN EARLY DAYS. 



nearly one-half of this territory is yet unimproved by the hand of man. 
Just think of it, about 15,000 square miles of nature practically unaltered 
by the hand of man, in Maine alone. 

The state is noted for its mountainous character, and its wonderful 
pine forests have given it the familiar name, the "Pine Tree State,*' by 
which it is known all over the world. 

Maine is officially credited with 5 151 rivers and smaller streams, 
which number does not, of course, include the innumerable branches 
spreading out in all directions. The latest reliable maps account for 
some 1600 lakes and ponds in the state, with a combined territory of about 
2200 square miles, nearly all of which now contain fish in greater or less 
numbers, which are suitable for food ; and in some localities these fish are 
an important item in the food supply of the poorer people. 

The variety of trees, shrubs and plants which go to make up the 
forests, is truly remarkable. There are scores of plants suitable for food, 
and a man who is a true woodsman need never suffer from hunger in the 
northern forests, in summer or autumn, though he have no means of 
procuring game or fish of any kind. Hunters and trappers, particularly 
when the country was first settled, sometimes, at certain seasons of the 
year, subsisted for weeks and even months, almost entirely upon roots, 
fruits and other portions of wild plants, which were and still are health- 
ful, nutricious and pleasant to the taste. Some scientists think there are 
from 75 to 100 species of plant life in the state, which are still 
undiscovered. 

The beauties of the forests of Maine cannot be described, were one to 
try; they must be seen and enjoyed to be appreciated. The forests are 
full of life and animation, and the lover of the beautiful in God's creation, 
will find new delights every moment that he spends with nature. 



EARLY DAYS. 



ANIMALS NATIVE IN MAINE. 



HE following is a list of the animals that may be 
called natives of the state of Maine, though there 
are two or three species here named that are now 
seldom if ever seen by hunters or sportsmen, 
within the limits of the state. 

Order I of Mammals. — Marsupiata. None in 
Maine. 

Order II. — Cheiroptera (bats). Common bat, 
hoary bat. 

Order III. — Insectivora (insect eaters). Mole shrew, star-nosed 
shrew, Thompson's shrew. 

Order IV. — Carnivora (flesh eaters). Panther or catamount, loup- 
cervier or lynx, gray wolf, red fox, silver fox, fisher cat, sable (pine mar- 
ten), brown weasel, ermine, black mink, otter, skunk, raccoon, black 
bear, common seal, hooded seal. 

Order V. — Rodentia (gnawers). Red squirrel, gray squirrel, flying- 
squirrel, striped squirrel (chipmunk), woodchuck, beaver, jumping mouse, 
white-footed mouse, hamster mouse, red-backed mouse, muskrat, porcu- 
pine (hedgehog), white rabbit (lepus Americanus). 

Order VI. — Ruminantia (ruminant animals). Moose, caribou, deer. 

Order VII. — Cetacea (air-breathing warm-blooded sea animals). 
Right whale, beaked rorqual, northern rorqual, black fish, porpoise, 
grampus. 

The animals most hunted by sportsmen are the moose, deer, caribou, 
black bear and fox, though a good many other game animals are hunted 
and trapped each year. 




BIRDS NATIVE IN MAINE. 



THE golden eagle, and very likely several other species of birds men- 
tioned in this list, as natives of Maine, are not known to exist in 
the state at the present time, though there was a time when they 
were quite common. If the name of any bird native to the state has been 
omitted, it is from lack of knowledge of the existence here of the species. 

Division I. — Raptores (robbers). Golden eagle, white headed eagle, 
fish hawk or osprey, great horned owl, mottled owl, long eared owl, great 
brown owl, barred owl, tengmalius owl, saw-whet owl, snowy owl, duck 
hawk or large-footed hawk, pigeon hawk, falcon, sparrow hawk, American 
goshawk, sharp-shinned hawk, red-tailed haw 7 k, red-shouldered hawk, 
broad-winged hawk, marsh hawk. 

Division II. — Incessors (perchers). Robin, redstart, wood pewee or 
phebe bird, great crested fly-catcher, kingbird, kingfisher, chimney swal- 
low, barn swallow, tree swallow, bank swallow, cliff swallow, martin bird, 
night hawk, whip-poor-will, hummingbird, hermit thrush, olive-back 
thrush, water thrush, tit-lark, Canada fly-catcher, least fly-catcher, Traill's 
fly-catcher, yellow-bellied fly-catcher, olive-sided fly-catcher, Wilson's 
blackcap, yellow rump warbler, black-poll warbler, chestnut-sided warb- 
ler, black-throated warbler, Cape May warbler, Blackburnian warbler, 
yellow-poll warbler, red-poll warbler, black and yellow warbler, mourning 
warbler, Maryland yellow-throat warbler, winter wren, American gold- 
crowned wren, bluebird, brown creeper, black and white creeper, black 
cap titmouse, Hudson's bay tit, red-eyed vireo, cedar bird, Bohemian 
chatterer, shrike or butcher-bird, scarlet tanager, indigo bird, catbird, 
white-bellied nuthatch, red-bellied nuthatch, pine grosbeak, blue gros- 
beak, purple finch, yellowbird, pine finch, red crossbill, white-winged 
crossbill, lesser red-poll, bobolink, red-winged blackbird, crow blackbird, 
rusty blackbird, orchard oriole, Baltimore oriole, raven, crow, blue jay, 
Canada jay, snow bunting, Lapland longspur, shore lark, baywing bunt- 
ing, white-throated sparrow, chipbird or little blue snowbird, fur-colored 



lO 



BIRDS NATIVE IN MAINE. 



sparrow, tree sparrow, swamp sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, yellow- 
winged sparrow, Savannah sparrow, yellowbill cuckoo, black cuckoo. 

Division III. — Scansores (climbers). Pileated or black woodcock, 
golden-winged woodpecker, yellow-bellied woodpecker, black-back three- 
toed woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker. 

Division IV. — Gyratores (whirlers). Wild pigeon, long-tailed or 
Carolina dove. 

Division V. — Rasores (scratchers). Ruffed grouse or birch partridge, 
Canada grouse or spruce partridge. 

Division VI. — Grallatores (waders). Blue heron or crane, stake 
driver or bittern, green heron, night heron or qua bird, golden plover, 
kildeer plover, piping plover, black-bellied plover, ring plover, ash-colored 
sandpiper, red-backed sandpiper, semi-palmated sandpiper, least sandpiper, 
pectoral sandpiper, purple sandpiper, sanderling sandpiper, spotted sand- 
piper, dotted sandpiper, solitary sandpiper, willet, yellow-legs, tell tale, 
northern phalarope, Hudsonian godwit, curlew sandpiper, American 
snipe, red-breasted snipe, woodcock, long-billed curlew, ruff, sora or 
common rail, coot or mud hen. 

Division VII. — Anatores (swimmers). Canada goose, brant goose, 
mallard, dusky duck, pintail duck, green-winged teal, shoveler, gray duck 
or gadwell, widgeon, wood duck or summer duck, scaup or black head, 
ring neck, whistler or golden eye, buffle-headed duck, harlequin duck, old 
squaw or long tailed duck, American scoter, eider duck, gossander or 
sheldrake, red-breasted sheldrake, hooded sheldrake or merganser, stormy 
petrel or Mother Cary's chicken, Leach's petrel, great shear-water, gannet, 
Mank's shear-water, Wilson's tern, Bonaparte gull, black-headed gull, 
burgomaster gull, herring gull, black-back gull, American gull, Arctic 
jager, cormorant, loon, red-throat loon, red-neck grebe, razor-bill auk, 
puffin or sea parrot, murre or guillemot, white-winged guillemot. 



FISHES NATIVE IN MAINE. 



HE fish industry of the state of Maine has always 
been an important one, and there was a time long 
ago when it undoubtedly was the most important 
of all Maine industries. But that is of the past. 

Of all the fish found in Maine waters, inland or 
otherwise, the salmon is king, and properly receives 
the greatest attention from the commissioners and 
from private fish and game associations, though the 
brook trout (salmo fontinalis), may be called a close 
second in popularity. These two fish are bred aL 
the different hatcheries in the state and are distrib- 
uted in great numbers in the bodies of water which 
are suitable for their growth, and where protection from poaching is 
assured, throughout the state. 

Salmon and trout are the fish which draw the anglers from the heat 
of the city to the cool breezes of the forest, though black bass, white 
perch and pickerel, as well as some other varieties of fresh water fish 
make excellent sport, and are often fished for by the sportsman, while 
they afford much delight to the small boy from the farm, who is so un- 
fortunate as to live at some distance from a good trout or salmon fishing 
ground. 

Shore fishing is indulged in to some extent by the sportsmen and 
tourists, though that sort of fishing is left mostly to the fisherman who 
gets his living in that way. And a pretty good living it is the Maine 
fisherman gets, as a rule, at least. 

The following classification of fish found in Maine inland and shore 
waters was made by Prof. Gill, (with a few additions and changes,) and 
is believed to be accurate. Doubtless some of the class names will sound 
large, but they are correct. 

Sub-class Toleostei, Midler. Order Teleocephali, Gill. Sub-order, 




12 



FISHES NATIVE IN MAINE. 



Physoclisti, Bona. Pecoid Family. — Yellow or brindle perch, striped 
bass, white perch, bream (flat fish), red-tailed bream. 

Sparoids. — Big porgie. 

Sclenoids — Weakfish — squeteague. 

Scombroids. — Spring mackerel, fall mackerel, tunney or horse mack- 
erel, Spanish mackerel. 

Caranginoids. — Blunt-nose shiner. 
Seriolinoids. — Blue fish. 
Scomberesocoids. — Bill fish. 
Gasterostoids. — Many-spined stickleback. 
Atherinoids. — Silverside. 
Scorpenoids. — Norway haddock, sea raven. 

Copoids. — Sculpin (Greenland bullhead), common sculpin or bull- 
head, Labrador or northern sculpin. 

Agonoids. — American aspidophore. 
Trigloids. — Sea swallow. 
Batrachoids. — Toad fish. 
Blerinoids. — Radiated shanney, butter fish. 
Zoarceoids — Thick-lipped ell pout. 
Anarrichoids. — Sea wolf. 
Cryptocanthoids. — Spotted wry-mouth. 
Lophioids. — Angler-goose fish. 

Sub-order Anacanthini, Midler. Gadoids.— Codfish, frost-fish (tom- 
cod), haddock, pollock, hake, cusk. 
Phycinoids. — American codling. 
Ophidioids. — New York Ophidium. 

Sub-order Pharyngonathi, Muller. Labroids. — Tautog (blackfish), 
cunner. 

Sub-order Heterosma, Bona. Pleuronectoids. — Halibut, toothed flat- 
fish (summer flounder) flounder. 

Sub-order Physostomi, Muller. Cyprinoids. — Goldfish (golden carp) . 
shiner, redfin, 

Catastomoids. — Common sucker. 

Cyprinodonts. — Minnow (killfish). 

Esocoids. — Common pickerel. 

Salmonoids. — Sea salmon, land-locked salmon, brook trout, Sebago 
trout, lake trout or togue, red-bellied trout, blueback trout, brown trout, 
whitefish, smelt. 

Clupeoids. — Herring, English herring, common shad, alewife. men- 
haden (pogy). 



FISHES NATIVE IN MAINE. 



13 



Engranlinoids. — Anchovy. 

Order Apodes. Anguiloids. — Common ell. 

Order Lemniscati, Kaup. Leptocaphalus. — Thinhead. 

Order Nematognathi, Gill. Pimeloids. — Hornpout. 

Sub-class Ganoidei (ag.), Muller. Order Chondrostei, Midler. Stur- 
ionoids. — Sturgeon. 

Sub-class Elasmobranchii, Bona. Order Plagiostomi, Cuvier. Sub- 
order Squali (Muller), Gill. Cetorhinolds. — Basking shark. 

Scymnoids. Sleeper. 

Sub-class Dermopteri, Owen. Order Hyperoarth, Bona. Petromyzo- 
utoids, Bona. — Lamper eel. 

Most of these fish are not half as bad as the names of their order and 
class make them appear, but if the scientific names of some of the fish 
themselves were given, I fear the reader would never get beyond the present 
chapter of this book. For this reason they are omitted. 



IMPORTED GAME BIRDS. 



SEVERAL years ago, through the influence of the Maine Game 
and Protective association, of which Mr. Edward G. Gay of Farm- 
ington was then the president, several specimens of the capercailzie 
and black game of Sweden were imported to Maine. 

Attention to these splendid game birds was first brought to the 
sportsmen of Maine by Hon. W. W. Thomas, Jr., of Portland, who was 
then minister to Sweden. He had observed the habits of these birds with 
much interest, from the standpoint of a true sportsman, had hunted them 
in their native forests, and was convinced from the climate and their 

habits, that both capercail- 
zie and the black game could 
be made to thrive in Maine, 
and that they would be a val- 
uable addition to the game 
birds of the state. 

The first specimens of the 
capercailzie and black game 
were liberated on Mt. Desert 
island, where they wintered 
well the first year, and are 
now thriving and increasing, 
with good prospect that in a 
few years they will be plen- 
tiful on the island, and will 
afford excellent opportunities 
for hunting. 

Since that time more birds 
have been liberated in the 
town of New Sweden, in 
Aroostook county. The in- 
t chjckof partridge habitants of this town are all, 




IMPORTED GAME BIRDS. 



15 



or at least nearly all natives of Sweden, who have a great love for the 
birds of their native land, and who are doing everything in their power to 
promote the welfare of their feathered friends. 

The wisdom of placing these birds in a section of the state inhabited 
by natives of the same country has been proven, and as the climate and 
food conditions in New Sweden are almost exactly the same as in Sweden 
itself, there is little danger that the birds will not live and thrive, and 
breed almost as well as in their native land. 

As a food bird the capercailzie is said by those who are familiar with 
it, to have no equal among the birds native in Maine, and it is also said 
that its cousin, the black game, is but little behind in this respect. These 
birds are now protected by law, and will continue to be until they have 
bred sufficiently to make their extermination or material decrease in 
numbers, by hunting, practically an impossibility. 

The matter of introducing the couckor partridge of India to the 
woods of Maine has been considerably discussed tor several years, and the 
Mongolian pheasant, which has proved a success in Massachusetts and 
other states, has been considered for the same purpose, but neither of 
these birds has yet been liberated in Maine. It is thought that the 
chuckor partridge would do well in this climate, as it has in some of the 
western states, and it is considered a very desirable bird by sportsmen. 
It is very similar to the ordinary birch partridge or ruffed grouse, though 
different in several respects. 

On the whole the Mongolian pheasant is not considered desirable in 
this climate, and there is no probability that it will be brought into Maine, 
very, soon, at least. 

With the imported birds added to the native game birds, a few years 
from now the lover of bird hunting will not lack for game. 




/ 



THE NOBLEST IN THE WOOD. 



COMPARATIVELY few of the sportsmen who are in 
the habit of visiting the wild regions of Maine 
annually in search of large game are well posted 
upon the habits and methods of living of the king 
of all American game of today, the moose, and the 
public at large is totally unfamiliar with the animal. 
The moose is the most eagerly sought after of all 
the game which abounds in the forests of this state, 
and the hunter who has just experienced the delight 
of killing his first moose has attained the height of 
earthly enjoyment, for him, unless he hunts larger 
game in eastern countries. He may afterwards kill 
many more moose, but no other seems quite like the first, as every hunter 
who has experienced the sensation well knows. 

The average sportsman, after his first successful hunting trip, usually 
considers himself a marvel of wisdom on the subject, but as he hunts 
he learns how little he really does know. It requires years of experience 
and observation to make a really successful big game hunter, without the 
assistance of a guide, even when the game is as abundant as it is now 
getting to be. Of course it is a common thing for an amateur to get a 
deer, or even two deer, and occasionally a moose is brought down in this 
way, but it is rare, exceedingly rare that a full grown moose is killed, 
except after days of hard hunting. 

That deer have been rapidly increasing in numbers for a number of 
years is an established fact, and a matter of common knowledge, but there 
is a difference of opinion regarding moose and caribou. I have given the 
matter careful study, seeking opinions and information from about every 
available source, of value, and have formed the opinion, based on inform- 
ation obtained from guides and sportsmen in all parts of the state where 
the animals are found, that the caribou is barely holding its own, but that 
the moose, under the present law is, and will continue to increase, 




LOCKED DEER HEADS— SEE PAGE 33. 



THE NOBLEST IN THE WOOD. 



21 



slowly, perhaps, but none the less surely. In some localities there is an 
apparent decrease, but in other parts of the state there is an overbalancing 
increase. That there is a general increase I am convinced. 

The. law prohibiting the killing of cow moose and calves, and clauses 
protecting bull moose, deer and caribou will, doubtless tend to materially 
increase the game, and consequently add to the great annual revenue 
received from the sportsmen who come here from other states. 

The reports of sportsmen returning from the forests with trophies of 
their valor and skill, especially if it be their first successful trip, are less 
to be relied upon than the battle-scarred veterans who have made their 
homes in the forests for many years, subsisting largely upon the flesh of 
bear, moose and other animals killed by them frequently after a long chase 
and hard fight; and their stories differ materially. 

The old veterans claim, and truthfully, that a moose cannot be killed 
easily by any amateur who happens along, but much patience must first 
be brought into play before even a shot at a moose may be had. Even 
then the chances are more than even against success. Many moose 
are hit and still escape from the hunter, to recover, or to die in some 
secluded spot in the forest. I have found that a .50 calibre bullet is none 
too large for effective work in shooting moose. I think, however, that 95 
grains of black powder is all that is necessary, and I fail to see any great 
advantage in smokeless powders. The new small bore rifles are not in 
great favor for moose hunting, in Maine at least, and not many who come 
here prefer them even for the smaller game. The .38-55 is the smallest 
cartridge much used here, so far as I have been able to observe from a 
tour including all the hunting sections of the state. Probably more than 
50 per cent, of the animals fired at by inexperienced hunters are un- 
harmed. 

In the late fall the hunter, in looking for moose signs, must be 
guided almost entirely by the breaking of twigs and buds on the trees and 
bushes, particularly maple, birch, willow, and similar trees. It will also 
be noticed by the hunter, if he be at all observant, that small patches of 
bark are gnawed off once in a while. If these signs are found upon the 
low lands they will in nearly every case lead to or in the direction of 
some near-by mountain, and after the signs have been followed a few 
miles it is easy for the hunter of experience to determine which of the 
mountains that may be in range of the vision, the moose is making for. 
It is believed that the bull moose, who live, in the summer, on the mount- 
ain sides, isolated from the herds, while they are waiting for their antlers 



THE NOBLEST IN THE WOOD. 



to grow and harden, and the velvet to form, select a place for the yard for 
the coming winter, and lead the herd to the selected spot later in the fall. 

It is at this season of the year that the experienced and thoroughly 
trained guide uses birch-bark "moose calls" to good advantage. 

Moose usually yard on the northern side of the highest mountain at 
hand, their instinct telling them that they will avoid the intermittent 
thaws and freezes of the cold winter months. When once settled in their 
winter quarters they remain there, or at least near by, until spring, unless 
they are frightened away. In feeding they wander about as little as 
possible. They usually commence at the foot of the mountain and work 
up the side of the ridge, back and forth, and before the snow gets to its 
full winter depth, reach the summit, and work down the sides of the 
mountain while the snow is deep. They gnaw the bark from every small 
tree in their path, as high as they can reach, some ten or twelve feet, by 
standing on their hind feet and placing their forward knees against the 
tree, in what seems to me a very awkward position. 

When the denizens of any yard become frightened by the approach of 
hunters they usually take different courses in their flight, the bulls going 
in one general direction and the cows and calves in another, though two 
animals, unless it be a cow and a calf, seldom travel together. It is 
usually customary for them to head for yards occupied by other moose, 
though they do not always do so. In fact it is hard to judge just what they 
will do in a case like this. 

Moose are sometimes shot in their yards, but usually most of them get 
away. The hunter, however, who finds a moose yard can invariably get 
his bull if he has sufficient patience and endurance, Any moose that lives 
in the forest can be walked or run down in five consecutive days if one can 
follow the trail without difficulty, and will keep everlastingly on the 
go. If a hunter contemplates getting a moose in this way, unless he is a 
skilled tracker himself, he should employ a competent guide. 

Mr. Andrew S. Douglass of Eustis, the veteran moose hunter, who is 
familiarly known to sportsmen all over the country as "Doug" or "Old 
Doug" claims to be and doubtless is the pioneer hunter after this manner. 

At all events he is always successful, never failing to get his moose. 
He can easily tell by the trail, whether it a bull or a cow he is following, 
and has never been known to make an error in this respect. 

Joe St. Ober of Eustis and Joe Francis of Oldtown, both of whom have 
Indian blood in their veins, are experts in this style of moose hunting 



THE NOBLEST IN THE WOOD. 



23 



The latter is considered the best man in the state of Maine with the "moose 
call." 

A hunter after starting on a hunt of this kind, will be astonished at 
the number of moose tracks he will come across, and the difficulty he will 
experience in following the particular trail he is on. That is what makes 
a very superior knowledge of woodcraft so essential. 

The first three days of the chase the moose will be found to travel 
along at a rapid gait, and the hunter will be obliged to go on at his best 
pace, sleeping on the trail and being up on the move as early as it is light 
enough to follow the trail. The third day the feet of the moose will begin 
to bleed, and the fourth day and the fifth they will be so sore and tender 
that he can travel but very slowly, and by the end of the fifth day they 
will be so worn that he can travel no longer, and he will lie down and 
await the approach of his enemy — man. 

When the hunter comes upon the disabled moose, he will stagger to 
his feet and make a brave fight, but a single shot from a modern rifle will 
usally end it all. 

One writer, speaking of the yarding of moose, well says: "No one 
can imagine the appearance of the fresh works of a moose yard in winter 
— their well-trodden paths in the snow in every direction, and the bright, 
new wood as far as the eye can reach — and the sensation of knowing that 
you are in the immediate vicinity of the largest game of the forest, perhaps 
within easy range." 

It is safe to say, without fear of contradiction, that moose are seen in 
greater numbers in both Aroostook and Franklin counties, as well as in 
other sections of the state, this year, than have been seen any year since 
Maine became a popular resort for lovers of hunting, and I believe that the 
records will show that more bulls were shot last season, than in any 
previous season. It is a matter for congratulation that there are so few 
cases of illegal shooting brought to light, and that the punishment is so 
sure and speedy, though of course there is still a good deal of this poach- 
ing that is never heard of. It is not the fault of the officials, however, 
that every offender is not promptly punished. 

There is no doubt that the moose is breeding much more rapidly than 
he is being killed off by hunters and guides, who as a rule are as law-loving 
and law-abiding a class of citizens as can be found anywhere. I am con- 
vinced that a large amount of big game is killed for use as food in the log- 
ging camps and back settlements, but I do not think this is as true to such 



THE NOBLEST IN THE WOOD. 



an extent as a few years ago, and I think the game killed for this purpose 
is very largely deer. 

One occasionally hears of a moose weighing 1400 or even 1600 lbs., but 
in my opinion these monsters exist only in the eye of the excited hunter. 
A moose weighing 800 lbs. is a very large one and those that weigh 1000 
lbs. are rare indeed. Mr. T. D. M. Cardeza of Philadelphia is probably 
the owner of the largest pair of antlers ever secured in Maine, at least 
they are the largest pair I ever heard of. They have a spread of 62 
inches, two inches larger than the famous pair belonging to Mr. C. Hazel- 
tine of Belfast, which has held the record for a long, long time. Mr. 
Cardeza shot his moose at the foot of Chesuncook Lake, in Piscataquis 
county, early in November, 1895. For several years, until the fall of 
1896, the Prince of Wales has been the happy owner of the moose head 
with the largest number of points on the antlers, of any head in the 
world, but now that honor belongs to Dr. G. H. Gray of Lynn, Mass., 
who shot a moose with more points on its headgear, in Aroostook county 
in November, 1896. One of the antlers has 20 points and the other 17. 
The antlers belonging to the Prince of Wales have 16 and 18 points. 

Mr. Nathan B. Moore of Bingham, one of the leading authorities on 
the Maine moose, may aptly be quoted as follows : 

"I do not think it is generally known that several varieties of moose 
are found in our state. When I was twelve years of age my father took 
me with him on a hunting trip. During our hunt he shot a moose. I 
remember very distinctly how the big fellow looked as we towed him 
ashore from the pond where he was killed. He was gray in color with 
a long, thin body and very long legs, looking as though he would be a hard 
animal to run down. For several years this was the only variety of moose 
seen in the Maine woods, but later there appeared what seemed to be an 
entirely different type, which had a short, thick body, short legs, and hair 
almost black. In general form they were much more like our domestic 
cattle than the gray moose. Soon after this moose appeared I began to 
meet another type which seemed to be a cross between the two varieties, 
as he no doubt was. The fourth and last moose to appear was the bell 
moose, so called from the fleshy appendage which hangs from the neck, 
somewhat resembling a bell. These four types mentioned are all to be 
found in Maine to-day. 

"Another point not generally known about moose is in relation to the 
growth of their antlers. They do not grow evenly upon each side, like 
those of deer and caribou, as one will always be found having an extra 



THE NOBLEST IN THE WOOD. 



25 



prong. Their order of growth is as follows : The first year the moose has 
no antlers, but the second year he has a straight spike on each side, and at 
that time he is the hardest to run down, the antlers not being of sufficient 
size to interfere with his flight through the woods; the third year one 
antler is straight, the other being divided, and as a prong thereafter added 
each year, the same relation is always maintained between the antlers — one 
always possessing a branch more than its mate. The antlers are generally 
dropped in January, especially if heavy and their bearer is in good flesh. 
I have killed moose as late as April with their antlers on, but they were 
always thin, with the appearance of having passed a hard winter." 

While it is true that the number of prongs on the two antlers is never 
the same, I do not think the writer quoted is entirely correct for of many 
sets of antlers I have examined, several had two or three more prongs on 
one side than on the other. 



MOOSE CALLING. 



'HE moose is a noble animal, and any method of hunting him through 



the deep forests, over mountain and through peaceful valley, is full 



of keen interest, enjoyment and excitement. But of all methods of 
hunting this grand animal, the method known as "moose calling" stands 
out alone and pre-eminent in the mind of the hunter, though the present 
laws of the state of Maine interfere greatly with this method. Moose 
calling can not be done successfully after cold weather sets in, and is best 
done during the month of September. 

The other forms of moose hunting are doubtless more attractive in 
many ways, but the hunter's nerves never thrill with quite the same sen- 
sation as when standing by the little opening where he has been calling, 
with the solitude and loneliness of the forest all about him, he hears the 
deep and oppressive silence suddenly broken by an angry roar, and then 
the crashing rush of the angry beast, making straight for the spot where 
he stands. 

Still hunting for moose is not as a rule a very successful method, and 
while it means a certain testing of a man's power of endurance, as in 
tracking upon the first snows, it is not filled with the thrilling excitement 
that accompanies the night calling, when the nerves are drawn to such a 
tension that the discomforts of remaining perfectly quiet, without even 
daring to stamp the feet or thrash the hands to keep them warm, are 
unheeded. The impressiveness of the first call of the bull moose, in 
answer to the deceptive note of the birch-bark "moose call" is tremendous, 
and no hunter ever yet forgot the first time he heard that sound. It is an 
experience ever to be remembered. To hear that trumpet call is worth 
taking a long journey. 

The moose begins to mate early in September, and then the bulls 
grow savage and uncertain in temper, often getting into dangerous moods 
and cutting up queer tricks. At such times it is dangerous to approach a 
bull, either in the daytime or at night, without a good deal of care. The 
call may simply alarm him and send him off on the run, or it may fill 




MOOSE CALLING. 



27 



him with rage and bring him down upon you. ready to attack the first 
living thing that comes in his way. The danger and uncertainty lends an 
extra charm to this method of hunting, and the hunter who has once 
successfully used the call will never think of murdering the noble beast in 
the deep winter snow. 

The call of the cow moose, which the hunter must always use first, is 
a low, sudden bellow, quite beyond the description of tongue or pen, 
though once heard it will never be forgotten. It seems to break out in 
the woods all at once, and is gone so quickly that one is surprised, and 
wonders if he really did hear anything. I have heard the call described 
many times, but never yet saw a person who was able to convey to a 
listener a true idea of what it really is. Like a tree falling, like a cow, 
like the swell of a cataract or the rapids at night, like a shot from a heavy 
rifle, or the shout 6f a man in the distance — these are some of the descrip- 
tions I have heard, and yet it really sounds like none of these. Perhaps 
it sounds as much like the report of a gun in a heavy fog as anything, 
except the bellow of another cow — for they all sound exactly alike. 

This single, low, indefinite bellow is heard early in the mating season, 
and later it is more prolonged and definite, often repeated two or three 
times in quick succession, like this — M'wish ! M'waah'uh ! M'wa-a-a-a-a ! 
The best hunters use these sounds in their calling, and at the right season 
they are nearly always successful. The first call is short and abrupt and 
is accompanied by a peculiar rolling motion of the head to give the 
proper tone. After an interval of a few seconds the sound is repeated, the 
middle sound being slightly prolonged with a slower roll of the head. 
Two or three seconds after, with the mouth of the birch bark trumpet 
almost on the ground, the last call begins. It is a plaintive, pleading 
bellow, long drawn out, while the mouth of the trumpet describes two or 
three wide circles in the air. The call should be repeated at the end of 
half an hour — not sooner. 

The answer of the bull varies but little, though it is easier to imitate. 
It is more like a short, hoarse grunting sort of roar than anthing else, 
and is frightfully ugly when heard close at hand. The call varies with 
the moods of the bull, though it sounds ugly at best. Sometimes when a 
bull is shy and the hunter thinks him to be near and listening, he follows 
the call of the cow with the short roar of a bull, hoping to excite the 
jealousy of the waiting bull. If it has this effect and the bull answers, 
then it is time to look out, for he is sure to be in one of his worst moods. 

Like man, the moose is made furious by jealousy, and is ready to 



2S 



MOOSE CALLING. 



attack anything in his path, and at such times he is a most dangerous 
beast to encounter. 

The trumpet with which the calling is done is nothing but a piece of 
birch bark, rolled into the shape of a cone, with the smooth side in. It 
usually is fifteen or sixteen inches in length, and from four to five inches 
in diameter at the larger end, tapering down to about an inch at the 
smaller end. The right hand closes around the small end, forming the 
mouthpiece. Into this the hunter grunts, bellows and roars, and at the 
same time keeps swinging the trumpet's mouth in great sweeping curves, 
to imitate the peculiar rolling sound of the cow's call. If the bull is 
supposed or known to be near and suspicious, the sound is deadened by 
holding the mouth of the trumpet close to the ground, and in this way, in 
my opinion, the call of the cow moose is best imitated. 

The calling season begins early in September and in this state lasts 
six or seven weeks, and the calling can best be done with success on a 
calm night, when noises of the wind do not interfere with the hunter. 
When the moose first hears the call, if he feels inclined to investigate, he 
makes a complete circle around the spot where he heard the call, and if 
there is even a slight breeze, he will scent danger at once, and the game 
is up. Moonlight is essential, for moose cannot be called when it is very 
dark, though they are frequently called just at dusk, or just as the sun is 
rising in the morning. Late on a moonlight night is the best time for 
this sort of moose hunting, however. 

Moose calling is most successfully and easily done from a canoe, on 
some quiet lake or river, if the locality will permit, then, from whatever 
direction the answering bull may come, the canoe may be paddled into 
the shadow of the opposite bank. If no such body of water is conveniently 
situated, a thicket in the midst of an open spot in the forest is a good 
place to locate. Here the hunter can prepare himself a warm nest and 
make himself as comfortable as may be, even though the mercury may be 
well down in the thermometer. The moose is never at home except in 
the thick woods, and he cannot often be called far into the open land or 
small growth, and the denser the forest, the better he likes it. 

One well known writer tells of a thrilling incident in which an Indian 
guide, Alec, was one of the leading characters, in about the following 
language : 

"He was calling one night from a thicket near the middle of a narrow 
barren. No answer came, though for an hour or more he felt quite sure 
that a bull was near and listening. He was about to try the roar of the 



MOOSE CALLING. 



29 



bull, when the creature suddenly burst out of the woods behind the two 
men, in exactly the opposite direction from the quarter they were watch- 
ing, and in which they believed their game to be hidden. Alec started to 
creep across the thicket, but on the instant a second challenge rang out 
fiercely in front of them, and directly across the open they saw the under- 
brush sway violently, as the bull they had long suspected broke out in a 
towering rage, grunting and grinding his teeth, and thrashing the bushes 
with his great antlers. 

"He was slowly advancing, however, and Alec crept rapidly to the 
other side of the thicket, where a moment later, his excited hiss called his 
companion. From the opposite fringe of forest the second bull hurled 
himself out, and was plunging with savage roars, straight towards them. 
Crouching low among the firs, they awaited his headlong rush — not with- 
out many a startled glance backward, and a very uncomfortable sense of 
being trapped and frightened, as Alec confessed to me in confidence. He 
had left his gun in camp; his employer had insisted upon it in his eager- 
ness to kill the moose himself. The bull had come rapidly within rifle 
shot. In a minute more he would be in the thicket, and already the rifle 
sight w r as trying to cover a vital spot, when right behind them — at the 
thicket's edge it seemed — a frightful roar brought them to their feet with a 
bound. 

"A second later the rifle was laying among the bushes, and a fright- 
ened hunter was scratching and smashing in a desperate hurry up among 
the branches of a low spruce, as if only the tip-top was half high enough. 
Alec was nowhere to be seen — unless one had the eyes of an owl to find 
him down among the roots of a big windfall. But the first moose rushed 
straight through the thicket without looking up or down, and out on the 
barren a tremendous struggly began. There was a few minutes of con- 
fused uproar — of savage grunts, grinding teeth, pounding hoofs and 
clashing antlers, with a hoarse undertone of labored breathing. Then the 
excitement of the fight w T as too strong to be resisted, and a dark form 
wriggled out from among the roots, only to stretch itself flat under a low 
fir, and look out with flashing eyes at the struggling brutes not thirty feet 
away. Three times Alec hissed for the white man employer to come down, 
but that gentleman was safe astride the highest branch that would bear his 
weight, with no desire, evidently, for a better view of the fight. 

"Then Alec found the rifle among the bushes, and waiting till the 
bulls backed away for one of their furious charges, he brought the larger 
one to his knees with a bullet through the shoulders. The second stood 



3° 



MOOSE CALLING. 



startled an instant, with raised head and muscles quivering — then 
dashed away across the barren and into the forest." 

Such encounters as these are often numbered among the tragedies of 
the great wilderness, and in tramping through the forest one sometimes 
finds two sets of huge antlers firmly locked together, and scattered among 
the underbrush near by, white bones which have been picked clean by 
wildcats and prowling foxes or other animals. The story of an encounter 
is told without need of written history. 

Here is another anecdote that may well be repeated at this time : 
"The first time I ever tried calling brought a startling response. It 
was when fishing, late one August afternoon, in a narrow arm of a lake in 
northern Maine, that I put into practice some of the teachings of my Indian 
guide. My first call brought down a savage old bull that chased me round 
the shallow arm of the lake like a fury. Only some desperate paddling 
brought me out safe, for I was alone, and without a weapon. Baptiste, my 
guide once had a more remarkable exprience. He was calling one night 
from a lake, and as no response had come after several hours' waiting, the 
canoe had been allowed to drift in and lie under the shadow of the trees 
close beside the bank. The first intimation he had of the presence of 
game was when a young bull leaped clear over the canoe into the shallow 
water of the lake. The bank was high, and whether he intended to crush 
the canoe beneath his hoofs, or simply to ascertain what it was, they never 
knew. A lucky shot, with the gun touching the brute's side, killed him in 
his tracks." 

A story is told, though I will not vouch for its truth, of two Boston 
youths who were fishing one of the well-known lakes in Aroostook county 
last summer, and hearing for the first time of the art of moose calling, had 
determined, though it was close time, and they had nothing to kill game 
with, to try their luck at calling. On returning to camp one night they 
reported that they sat on the shore of the lake all the afternoon, and though 
they kept calling "moos-ie, moos-ie," all the time, every few moments, not 
a single moose came within sight. 

This sort of moose calling is not likely to attract much game. To 
successfully hunt in this manner a competent guide should be employed. 



CARIBOU AND DEER. 



WHILE both moose and caribou belong to the deer tribe, they differ 
greatly in many respects. The caribou is the American variety 
of the reindeer, and is a large animal, though much smaller 
than the moose. The average adult measures three feet and six inches at 
the shoulder. Though the American caribou, which is found in consid- 
erable numbers in the state of Maine, is almost identical with the European 
reindeer, which is often found in captivity, carrying man's burdens, it has 
never been domesticated in this country. 

The caribou is a wonderfully powerful animal, and is remarkable for 
its endurance, which is greater than that of either the moose or the deer. 
During the greater part of the year the flesh of this animal is dry and 
tasteless, and is not very desirable as food, though there is a layer of fat 
under the skin of the back, which is always palatable, and which is fre- 
quently eaten raw by hunters. The dried flesh of the caribou makes the 
very best of pemmican, which is invaluable to the trapper, and even the 
horns are sometimes eaten raw, when young, soft and in the velvet. 

Caribou always live in herds, which are frequently as large as three 
hundred in numbers, though sometimes not more than ten or twelve are 
found in a herd. When a straggler is seen alone, it is safe to judge that a 
herd is not far away. They are migratory in their habits and travel hund- 
reds of miles in their search for favorite varieties of food. They may be 
numerous in a particular locality one year, and not be seen there again 
for a number of years, or perhaps ever, for that matter. 

The caribou is naturally of a friendly disposition, and has not that fear 
of man which is characteristic of other members of the deer tribe, though 
at times they exhibit craftiness to a considerable degree. As a rule, 
where caribou exist in considerable numbers, they are shot with little 
difficulty by the sportsman, and without the skill that is necessary in 
outwitting the moose. 

While the caribou is not usually very numerous in Maine, or rather 
has not been of late years, he is an animal easily approached, and 



3- 



CARIBOU AND DEER. 



he is an easy victim of the sportsman when once his haunts are known. 
His bump of curiosity is unusually large, and when he sees an object that 
is curious to him, he will investigate, or at least will not run away from 
it, and oftentimes loses his life for just this reason. 

In the Canadian provinces caribou are more numerous than in Maine 
or any other of the northern states, and in the great caribou barrens of 
Canada they are hunted to much better advantage than in any portion of 
the United States. Many American sportsmen go to the Canadian 
barrens after game each year, and if reports may be relied upon, have 
some very exciting experiences. At all events they invariably get the 
game they seek, and of course successful trips are always full of delightful 
incidents. 

Hunting deer is not what it used to be before "jacking" was forbidden 
by law, still there is not a true sportsman who hunts in Maine, who will 
not at once admit the justice of the law. It is estimated by some of the 
oldest and best guides in the state that there are as many as 150,000 deer 
at liberty in the forests of the state, and it is generally believed that all 
sportsmen who wish to hunt can secure one or two deer without resorting 
to any means to deprive the animals of their natural means of self-protec- 
tion, and all methods of hunting which prevent this are forbidden by a 
just and beneficial law. 

The deer, the native of Maine, is much smaller than the moose, and 
not as large as the caribou. The largest that I ever saw weighed 275 lbs., 
though I have heard of them considerably larger than that. The deer is 
full of cunning and very timid, keen of scent, and a difficult animal to 
outwit when it once becomes suspicious. Dogging and jacking deer are 
now both illegal, and still hunting or driving is the usual method of 
hunting. Though deer usually travel in herds they are frequently found 
singly and at a long distance from their companions. They have a 
remarkably keen scent, and when danger is once suspected, their ability to 
avoid their pursuers is something truly remarkable. Deer breed two or 
three times a year, according to the climate, while the cow moose and 
caribou raise but a single calf in a year. Consequently deer increase in 
numbers much more rapidly than any other large game now fnund in 
this state. 

Probably more than ten thousand deer were killed in Maine during 
the three months of open time in the season of 1897. 

Deer, as well as caribou and moose, not infrequently quarrel and 
fight among themselves, and evidence of bloody warfare is often found in 



CARIBOU AND DEER. 



33 



the forest. Occasionally they "lock horns," are unable to separate 
themselves, and lie down and die together. Two sets of antlers firmly 
locked together in this manner are sometimes found, and a number of 
such curios have been preserved as relics of some fierce contest for a 
supremacy which was never enjoyed. 



FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 



RAPPING for fur has in times past been a large 
business in Maine, and has proved very profitable 
to a large number of hunters, who have been in the 
habit of spending their winters in the northern 
woods, scores of miles from any settlement. Of 
late, however, the business has fallen off consider- 
ably, and though a few hnnters and trappers still 
find it profitable, there are not many who depend on 
hunting and trapping for a living, in Maine. 

The largest of the fur-bearing animals found in 
this state is the black bear or musquaw. 'Years ago 
the black bear existed in large numbers in different 
parts of North America, but now they are comparatively scarce. It is 
estimated that there are now 8000 or 10,000 in Maine, and several hundred 
are killed by hunters and sportsmen each year. 

This animal prefers a vegetable diet, and is perfectly harmless unless 
pressed by hunger or attacked by an enemy. It is a very rare occasion 
when a black bear will attack a hunter, and in most cases bruin will make 
every possible effort to get away from man, whether he be armed or not. 

Snails and honey are two particular delicacies which often lead the 
bear into trouble. These are his two greatest favorites in the way of food, 
and he will wade through fire to get them if he has an opportunity. 

The state pays a bounty on bears, and a number of towns do the 
same. This has led to many interesting legal questions, and in several 
cases which have come to my knowledge, bears have been killed very near 
the line between two towns, one of which paid a bounty, while the other 
did not. Several times I have known a town paying a bounty to claim 
that a bear had been killed in the other town and dragged over the line 
for the sake of securing the five dollars bounty from the more liberal 
town. Several lawsuits have resulted from cases of this kind. 

This species of bear is remarkably prolific, the number of cubs which 




FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 



35 



are produced at birth varying from one to four. When first born they are 
very small, not over six or eight inches in length, and covered with gray 
hair. They are usually born in January or February, and though they 
develop rapidly, they remain under the care of the mother bear until they 
are about six months of age. When about a year old the color changes to 
glossy black, the natural color of the musquaw. 

At one time the gray wolf was found in considerable numbers in 
Maine, but it is very doubtful if there is one in the state to-day, though 
they are occasionally reported as seen in different localities. The latest 
wolf reports came from Aroostook and Oxford counties, but no pelts have 
yet been produced as evidence, and I am very much inclined to doubt the 
stories. 

Scientists and authorities say there is not a genuine panther in the 
state at the preeent time, though wildcats and loupcerviers are plentiful 
enough in certain localities, notably in the northern portions of Franklin, 
Oxford, Somerset and Aroostook counties, as well as in some portions of 
Piscataquis county. They are seen in other localities at times, and have 
within a short time been seen near some of the larger villages. 

The fisher, sable, weasel, ermine, mink and raccoon are numerous in 
many parts of the state, but are not much relied upon by hunters now-a- 
days, for sport, for they are scarce where once they afforded a livelihood 
for many a sturdy woodsman. 

Muskrats, beaver and squirrels are still common, and rabbits and 
porcupines or hedgehogs, as they are commonly called here, are still 
found in large numbers in nearly all parts of the state. 

But of all the fur-bearing animals in Maine to-day, the red fox is the 
favorite and the most hunted, though his more valuable brother, the 
silver-gray is occasionally met. I know of the killing of one black fox 
and one pure white fox in the Dead River country in the fall of 1896, but 
these freaks of nature, if they may be called that, are not very often found 
here. Their skins bring remarkably good prices, however, and they are 
eagerly sought by the fur buyers. 

There are several clubs in Maine, whose chief object is hunting the 
red fox, of which the Buckfield Fur Club (formerly the Monmouth Fur 
Club), is the best known. This club has an annual meet and hunt in the 
fall, and sportsmen from all over New England attend each year. Mrs. 
F. Eugene Belding of Boston -joined the club at the 1896 meet, and dis- 
tinguished herself by securing the first brush ever taken by a lady at a 
meeting of this club. 



36 



FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 



Good fox hunting is found near almost any of the interior villages in 
the state, and the fox hunters are numbered by hundreds. There are a 
dozen breeders of good foxhounds in Maine, and there is scarcely a town 
of any size in which good hounds cannot be found. Besides the sports- 
men who delight in the fox chase there a number of professional trappers 
who make it a business. 

The king of them all is William Brown of Monmouth, who is known 
as the grizzled "leatherstocking" of Maine, who during the past season 
has been luring the foxes of Oakland and vicinity to his traps. About 100 
foxes a year is Mr. Brown's average catch, and he will often trap half a 
dozen in a few days, where not a fox has been seen for years. 

Brown is a hunter and trapper by profession, and his traps are usually 
his only tools, rifles and guns not being in his line. He sets a line of 
traps in a suitable location, baits them, sprinkles on a little "Schofield 
scent," and the game comes to him freely and in large numbers. Not 
only foxes, but skunks and 'coons are his legitimate prey, and help to fill 
his purse and larder. 

Mr. Brown is a gray-whiskered veteran, a good story-teller, and a 
thorough woodsman. Where he came from, nobody knows, but he has 
been in Maine a good many years, trapping in various localities. It is 
his custom to select a favorable spot and stick to it as long as his trapping 
produces satisfactory results; then he pulls up stakes and moves to more 
promising fields. 

In 1889 or 1890 he appeared in Lewiston, and shortty took up his 
abode on the farm in Auburn owned by Mr. Thomas Mansfield, where he 
trapped in the fall and winter, doing farm work at other times. He 
remained there until September, 1892, when he went to South Monmouth 
and established himself on the shore of Lake Tacoma, where he has since 
made his home, though he sometimes remains away from there for months 
at a time. 

In South Monmouth Brown soon became a noted local character, and 
is a general favorite among the townspeople, being familiarly spoken of 
as the Lake Tacoma guide. He lives there in a small house with a shed 
attachment, together with his wife, who is quite an artist, and who has 
made some excellent sketches of the surroundings, which have been 
accepted by a prominent art school. In the attic of the house he keeps 
his cured pelts, dried and ready for the market, while the outside of his 
shed is sometimes literally thatched with the fur of the fox, 'coon, skunk, 
mink and other animals, skins not yet fully cured. 




TROPHIES FROM THE FORESTS OF MAINE. 



AN OLD-TIME MAINE LOGGING CAMP. 



HUNTING RUFFED GROUSE. 



FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 



4i 



In the season of 1895 Mr. Brown secured the pelts of more than a 
hundred foxes, including two valuable silver grays, besides a still larger 
number of pelts from other animals, all of which were disposed of at good 
prices. The fur buyers are always anxious to secure his pelts, for they 
are sure to be in perfect condition. 

Brown's good fortune with his traps is not a matter of good luck at 
all, as many people have been led to believe, but a matter of knowledge 
and experience, which few trappers have been able to attain. 

His success as a trapper is very largely due to the judicious use of his 
famous scent or essence. He prepares the essence and simply sprinkles it 
over the bait in his traps, and on the ground around them, and its 
peculiar, pungent odor eventually calls into the trap any unfortunate 
reynard or other similar animal which happens to go within smelling 
distance, which need not be very near, by any means. 

It is told that the originator or discoverer of this famous scent, or the 
formula by which the liquid is made, was one Schofield, an old trapper, 
who many years ago lived in the northern part of Vermont, where he 
hunted and trapped with great success. From this Schofield William 
Brown's brother learned the secret, and in turn imparted it to William, 
who has made good use of it for many years, always meeting with phe- 
nominal success wherever he has trapped. In fact he has been so success- 
ful that he has usually very nearly exterminated the fox tribe wherever he 
has located, though as a rule he does not remain many years in a place, 
often practically wiping out the fox tribe in that time. 

Mr. Brown owns a fine dog and a good gun and rifle, but he uses them 
very little, getting most of his game from his traps, and usually killing 
the animals with a club which he carries around with him when looking 
after his traps. During the season he makes a business of hunting, and 
pays little attention to other affairs, while during the summer fishing 
season he largely occupies his time by guiding city sportsmen. He knows 
where the gamy trout, pickerel and bass are to be found, and is thoroughly 
familiar with the habits and peculiar tastes of the different varieties of 
fish, and the parties guided by him are nearly always successful. 

Though Mr. Brown is away from his home on the shore of Lake 
Tacoma most of the time, his wife still lives there in the farmhouse, and 
the trapper visits her as often as he finds the opportunity. Trapper Brown 
has done a thriving business the last season, and is well satisfied with the 
result of his labors. He thinks of moving to the Canadian provinces after 
a few more trapping seasons in Maine. He undoubtedly knows more 



4^ 



FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 



about trapping foxes than any other man living. He has a good many 
imitators in the state, but none of them are his equal by any means, 
though several are using his scent with good success, having purchased it 
of him. 

The hard wood forests, particularly the beech and oak forests in 
nearly all sections of the state are full of squirrels, and on the hilly slopes 
dozens of big, plump grays are often found on a sunny autumn afternoon. 
Gunning for grays is a favorite sport with many who hunt for a pastime, 
and the man who uses a rifle will find the sport quite exhilirating. The 
plump, handsome fellows will dodge about from limb to limb and from 
tree to tree in a surprising manner, and the pleasure of watching them is 
almost if not quite equal to the pleasure of shooting them. They seem to 
realize that it is a game of life and death with them, and their exhibition 
of quick wit and sound common sense is truly wonderful. It takes a 
hunter of considerable skill to keep track of their movements in the tree 
tops. 

The reds and "stripers" are far less cunning, but are not often shot, 
except occasionally by a gunner who shoots everything alive that comes 
within reach of his gun ; but this sort of "game hog" is very rare in this 
state, I am pleased to be able to say with truth. These little fellows are 
seldom used for food, though the flesh is equal in every respect to that of 
the gray squirrel. 

Since March 22, 1893, the beaver, one of the most interesting as well 
as most valuable of Maine's fur-bearing animals, has been protected by 
law, that the species might not become extinct in the state, and the law 
affording them this protection has proved a very wise one; and though it 
had its opponents at the time it was drafted, there are no hunters or 
trappers that I know who are not now thankful for it. At that time 
beaver were becoming very scarce, and there was a fear that they would 
not last much longer unless protected for a term of years. 

Since the law went into effect five years ago beaver have rapidly 
increased in numbers in the northern part of the state, and in some 
localities are now said to be found in such numbers as to be a serious 
hinderance to the lumbermen, who are often obliged to cut away many 
dams during the lumbering season, before their logs will pass by on their 
way to the mills. The beaver is an ingenious fellow and his works are 
nearly as strong as those of a similar nature constructed by man, when 
the same materials are used. The rapidity with which large trees are cut 
down and made up into dams and beaver settlements is really remarkable. 
A fine beaver pelt sometimes brings as much as fifteen dollars. 



SOME MAINE GAME BIRDS. 




UNTING grouse and woodcock has long been a favor- 
ite sport with both local gunners and with tourist 
sportsmen who annually visit Maine. The ruffed 
grouse or birch partridge has been the leading game 
bird of Maine for many years, and many thousands 
are shot each season. The Canadian grouse or 
spruce partridge is much less common, and when one 
is shot it is considered a prize indeed, though there 
are a few localities in the state in which this bird is 
very common. The ruffed grouse, which is known 
everywhere as the common partridge, is found in 
almost every inland town in the state, and a flock 
may often be found in the first patch of woods one comes to, it mattering 
little from where the start is made. It has been estimated that at least a 
quarter of a million of these birds were killed in this state in 1896, but of 
course it is impossible to get at an accurate estimate of this slaughter of 
birds, beyond the fact that it was very great. 

The ruffed grouse is an extremely interesting bird, and its habits are 
well worth studying. These birds are found in nearly all the northern and 
central, as well as in some of the southern states, and are everywhere 
regarded as among the best of game birds. The male bird is in color a 
rich chestnut-brown, and is far handsomer than the female. Mr. Wilson 
in his "American Ornithology," has this to say about the "play" of the 
ruffed grouse : 

"In walking through the solitary woods frequented by these birds, a 
stranger is surprised by suddenly hearing a kind of thumping very similar 
to that produced by striking two full-blown bladders together, only much 
louder. The strokes at first are slow and distinct, but gradually increase 
in rapidity, till they run into each other, resembling the rumbling sound 
of thunder, dying away gradually on the ear. After a few minutes' pause, 
this is again repeated, and on a calm day may be heard nearly a mile off. 



44 



SOME MAINE GAME BIRDS. 



This drumming is most common in spring, and is the call of the cock to 
his favorite female. It is produced in the following manner : 

"The bird, standing on a prostrate log, generally in a retired and 
sheltered situation, lowers his wings, erects his expanded tail, contracts 
his throat, elevates the tufts of feathers on the neck and inflates his whole 
body, something in the manner of the turkey-cock, strutting and wheeling 
about with great stateliness. After a few manoeuvres of this kind he 
begins to strike with his stiffened wings in short and rapid, quick strokes, 
which become more and more rapid, until they run into each other, as 
has already been described. This is most common in the morning, 
though I have heard them drumming at all hours of the day." 

I have watched male birds often during the drumming or mating 
season, and the movements of the cock are sometimes ludicrous, though 
always stately and commanding respect from the looker-on. The grouse 
is terribly in earnest in his love making. 

The grouse nests in May in this climate, and raises a litter of from 
nine to fifteen, perhaps averaging twelve. The eggs are a brownish-white 
in color and are handsomely marked. The mother bird has a remarkably 
intelligent system of throwing the searcher off the track, and in all her 
movements she shows an unusual amount of almost human intelligence 
which can but be admired by every student of bird life. 

Grouse are hunted either with or without the assistance of a dog, 
though a well trained cur dog that will tree the birds is of great assistance 
to the gunner. Pointers and setters are used to some extent on grouse, 
but I have personally found them of little aid in hunting these birds, and 
I think this is the general opinion among Maine gunners. Probably more 
than half the hunting for partridges done in Maine, is by the method 
known as "still hunting." 

During the fall flight woodcock is freely brought to bag, though 
until a few years ago this splendid bird was little known and very little 
hunted here. In the last half dozen years, however, the bird has become 
better known, and several large kennels of high blooded setters and point- 
ers have been brought into the state, and woodcock shooting over these 
intelligent and faithful dogs has become very popular, and has been made 
successful. To-day there are many sportsmen who prefer woodcock shoot- 
ing to any other kind of hunting, including the chase of the moose, cari- 
bou and deer. I myself have found it prime sport, and have become so 
enthusiastic over it that I have purchased and have bred both pointers 
and setters of the English strains for this purpose. I pride myself that my 



SOME MAINE GAME BIRDS. 



45 



dogs have as blue blood in their veins as can be found. At all events they 
belong to the best hunting strains, and that is most essential. 

The color of the woodcock is brown in several shades. The breast is 
light brown barred with a darker shade, and the back is darker still. The 
average length is about 14 inches, and the usual weight is from 13 to 15 
ounces, though they are sometimes heavier, and have been known to 
weigh nearly twice as much. The woodcock is peculiar in its habits, and 
is a very hard bird to find, where they may exist in large numbers. An 
experienced hunter will often get a large bag of game where the novice 
might fail to locate a single bird in a day's hunting. It is a very silent 
bird, seldom uttering a cry except when first starting for its feeding 
places, and hardly ever crying out when flushed. The flight of the wood- 
cock is wonderfully swift, though the wings do not have the appearance 
of moving fast. The bird also has the custom of dodging about so rapidly 
when it sees a sportsman, that it often escapes a shot. I do not mean that 
the frequent escapes of the bird are due solely to the quickness and irregu- 
larity of its flight, because a good eye and a steady hand soon become used 
to these movements, and an experienced hunter has little difficulty in 
shooting the birds. Individual birds are very different in their flight, 
however. 

The nest of the woodcock is made of leaves, different varieties of 
ferns being the favorites, and is carelessly put together and not lined. 
Four eggs is the number laid, and their color is a buffy white, with num- 
erous rusty brown blotches. The mother bird frequently, in time of 
danger, will carry her young considerable distances to place it out of 
harm's way. 

Several varieties of plover and other sand-birds are found on the coast 
and in some inland regions, and early in the fall shore bird shooting is a 
favorite pastime among the local sportsmen and visitors at the seaside 
resorts. The number of these birds killed annually is not very great. 

Wild geese are not found in great numbers, but ducks of the several 
varieties mentioned under a previous heading are more or less numerous 
about the inland waters at flight time in the spring and autumn, particu- 
larly the latter, and at that season excellent duck shooting may be found 
on many of the northern lakes, particularly those which have marshy 
shores, and if wild rice is found in the marshes, this may be relied upon 
as a particularly good place, and the hunter who prepares himself a 
shooting box here, will meet with success if he knows how to hunt ducks, 
selects the proper season, and has sufficient patience. That is all that is 



46 



SOME MAINE GAME BIRDS. 



necessary. I think the wood duck and the black duck are oftenest shot in 
northern Maine, if the duck hunters are to be relied upon. At least these 
are the varieties that I have oftenest seen, though the sheldrake or hooded 
merganser is common enough, and half a dozen other varieties of ducks 
are often seen. 

The shooting of shore birds is a prominent sport at some of the sea- 
side resorts, and is indulged in to a large extent by those sportsmen who 
are fond of the sea. The woodsman, however, prefers to go to the 
forests for his game, and in my opinion, finds much better sport. 



FISH AND FISHING. 



O the lover of fly fishing or trolling for salmon, trout 
or bass, the state of Maine offers unlimited oppor- 
tunities. With 22,000 square miles of lakes and 
ponds, nearly every one of them teeming with land- 
locked salmon, trout or some other edible fish, it is 
not to be wondered at that when the sportsman gets 
out his book of flies, his rods and other "necessary 
paraphanalia," preparatory to the trip "down east," 
it is sometimes difficult to decide where to go. There 
are so many good places, that, when the fishing 
alone is considered, it is almost impossible to make 
a choice. 

Of the Rangeleys, the Dead River region, Moosehead Lake and Kineo 
every angler has known for years, and he is very likely familiar with the 
lakes, ponds and streams suggested by the mention of these names. The 
"New Northeast," as the Aroostook River regions are now getting to be 
called, are fast becoming familiar words, though but a few years ago that 
territory was almost unknown, except as the territory where a vast amount 
of lumbering was carried on every winter. The building and extension 
of the Bangor & Aroostook railroad, however, has made travel to this 
remote section an easy matter, and tourists are flocking there during the 
summer months. Here may be found as good fishing as could be asked 
for, though the fish are not, as a rule, quite equal to the Rangeley trout 
and salmon in size. In every other respect they are unexcelled in this or 
any other state. 

The salmon has properly been termed the king of fish, and the land- 
locked species is in every particular, size excepted, the equal of the migra- 
tory variety. Nearly all the important fresh water fishing resorts suitable 
have received their share of salmon fry from the commissioners of inland 
fisheries and game, and in a few years excellent salmon fishing will be 
found in a hundred different ponds. Yes, in many more than that 
number. 




FISH AND FISHING. 



At present the best salmon fishing in the state is found in Sebago lake 
and in the Rangeley chain of lakes. Last season a number of salmon ex- 
ceeding 12 pounds, including one weighing 13^ pounds, were landed at 
Rangeley. 

Next in favor with the sportsman comes the brook or square-tailed 
trout, two varieties which are about the same in quality of meat and in 
gaminess. Both are found in great numbers all over the state, and both 
are great favorites with all anglers. Many claim that the two varieties 
are identical, but I think there is a slight difference, though it is not a 
material one. Lake trout, often called togue, are common in many 
waters, and sometimes are enormous in size. I have heard of a togue 
weighing 37 pounds being taken in Moosehead lake, but I should not 
care to vouch for the truth of the story, though I am not prepared to 
deny it. In years past fish weighing more than 20 pounds have been 
taken from this lake, to my knowledge. 

Black bass, white perch and pickerel are found in great numbers in 
the ponds in the Kennebec valley, and excellent sport is had here, partic- 
ularly late in the fall after the salmon and trout season is over. White 
perch and pickerel are considered excellent for food, but the gamy bass 
is not often eaten, the flesh being soft and unpalatable. 

The smaller rivers and streams in the thinly settled portions of the 
state are full of the little brook trout, seldom exceeding half a pound in 
weight, though they occasionallj' weigh a pound or more, and in the spring 
and early summer hundreds of anglers whip these little fellows from the 
water with keen anticipation of a delicious meal of fried or broiled trout 
to come. The flavor of these little speckled beauties is a little more 
tempting than anything I know of. 

Of sea fishing off the Maine coast it is not necessary to speak at this 
time. 

The following information gleaned from a late report of the commis- 
sioners of inland fisheries and game is of much interest : The increasing 
demand for land-locked salmon has led the commission to very materially 
extend the facilities for the propagation of these fish, by building new 
hatcheries and weirs at Weld, Auburn, Caribou, Edes, Sebago, Kineo and 
other places, and repairs and increased facilities have been made at still 
other hatcheries. Large numbers of trout and salmon fry have been 
planted in suitable waters in all parts of the state, and everything possible 
is being done to increase the numbers of these game fish in Maine waters. 
The hatching and distribution of trout and salmon fry will be continued 



BANGOR AND AROOSTOOK RAILROAD. 49 




Best 
Hunting 
Grounds 



TAKE THE 



Bangor & Aroostook 

RAILROAD. 



The shipment of Game from our stations greater than from all 
New England put together. 

AN IDEA 

of the great amount of game in the territory reached by the various 
divisions of this road may be gained from the following statement, 
which shows the actual amount of game shipped from our stations 
by visiting sportsmen. 

Deer. Moose. Caribou. 
Shipped in Oct., Nov. and Dec, 1896, 2245 133 130 

" " " " " " 1895, 1581 112 130 

" " " " " 1894, ^oi 45 5° 

THE LAKES AND PONDS teem with the most gamy of game 
fish, the speckled square-tailed trout, salmon, pickerel and togue. 
. THROUGH TRAINS with Pullman Buffet Parlor Cars INTO THE 
HEART OF THE WILDERNESS. 

For an illustrated book, containing maps, rates of fare, etc., enclose 
two-cent stamp to the General Passenger Agent. 

F. W. CRAM, GEO. M. HOUGHTON, 

V. P. & Gen'l Mgr. Gen'l Pass'r & Ticket Agt. 



FISH AND FISHING. 



indefinitely by the commission, and the fish will be protected by law until 
they have grown to several pounds in weight, so there is little danger that 
there will not be as good or better fishing than at present, in Maine 
waters, for an indefinite period of time. 

It is a notable fact that the fishing is a little better each year than it 
was the year before, which is, to say the least, very encouraging, and is 
drawing a continually increasing number of city anglers this way each 
year. May their shadows never grow less. They never will if Maine 
salmon and trout can prevent it. 




WHERE THE BIG- TROUT LIVE. 



AINE certainly deserves the reputation which it enjoys, as a paradise 



for lovers of the speckled beauty. Lakes, ponds and streams 



abounding in the gamiest and prettiest trout imaginable are to be 
found more or less profusely scattered all over the state, but to the county 
of Franklin has been given a major portion of that, vast territory known 
as the Rangeley and Dead River regions, dotted in all directions with 
famous lakes and ponds, where thousands of disciples of the famed Izaak 
go annually with a burning desire to lure the wily trout from his sylvan 
retreat, with the aid of rod and fly. 

With Rangeley, Richardson, Kennebago, Cupsuptic, Mooselookme- 
guntic, and the many other lakes, to say nothing of the Chain of ponds, 
Seven ponds, little Tim of poet lore, and the famous King and Bartlett 
and Spencer — and a hundred others — the reader is probablj- more or less 
familiar, as well as with the Moosehead country and the Aroostook county 
lakes, where monsters of the deep, fresh water are to be found. 

But not many miles from the Dead River country there is a body of 
water, less familiar, but which has had the name, and deservedly too, of 
contributing each season, the largest trout of the year to the catch in the 
state of Maine. It is the pond where the big fellows dwell, and where 
some of the best of fishing may be found at almost any time in the 
season, and all this in a locality which can be easily reached. 

Clear Water Pond is situated mostly in the south-western part of the 
town of Industry, though one end of it is in Farmington, four and one- 
half miles from the terminus of the Maine Central railroad. Some beau- 
tiful legends, which cannot fail to be of interest to all lovers of nature, are 
connected with Clear Water Pond, which of late has been called Crystal 
Lake by some. Both of these names arise from the extreme clearness of 
the water, the bottom being plainly visible at a depth of sixty feet. In 
the early days this sheet of water, which is about three miles long and a 
mile and a half across at the widest point, was known as "Bull-horse 
Pond," which name was derived from one of the following legends. 




52 



WHERE THE BIG TROUT LIVE. 



It is said that not far from the pond a horse and a bull engaged in a 
fierce combat many years ago, and that both rushed into the pond, where 
the combat ended in a double drowning. 

A history of the town of Industry published a few years since says 
that "the most credible tradition of all" is that a Frenchman named Blois 
long ago spent his time near here trapping, and that the name of the pond 
was a corruption of his name. William Allen, one of the earliest settlers 
of the town, and from whom the settlement at the head of the pond took 
its name, wrote an early history of the place, in which he says that Judge 
North's surveying party on arriving at this pond watered their horses, and 
proposed the name "Horse Pond," but put a prefix to it and called it 
"Bull-horse Pond." It was first called Clear Water Pond in 1803, and has 
since retained that name. 

The pond has always been noted for its large lake trout, and for some 
years the largest taken in the state has come from Clear Water Pond. 
June 15, 1895, Mr. Charles E. Wheeler of Farmington, manufacturer of 
the well-known Wheeler split bamboo fishing rods, landed a trout thirty- 
four inches in length, which weighed sixteen and three-fourths pounds, 
several hours after it left the water. In 1894 Mr. Wheeler landed a trout 
weighing fifteen and three-fourths pounds, the largest taken in the state 
that year. Mr. Wheeler caught another in 1895 that weighed fourteen and 
one-half pounds, and Mr. Will Spinney of Industry got one that tipped 
the scales at fifteen and one-half pounds. Large trout were also taken 
from Clear Water Pond in 1896 and 1S97, though the fish mentioned were 
not equalled in size these latter years. 

Fly fishing for the big fellows is unknown on this pond, for the fish 
are always found in deep water and will not rise to the surface. There is 
one thing very peculiar about the trout in Clear Water Pond, which I had 
almost forgotten to mention. There are apparently no trout of medium 
size, that is, between five and ten pounds, for none between these weights 
are ever caught here. There are a plenty of from one pound to five, and 
occasionally six pounds, and a few of the big fellows over ten pounds, but 
none between. 

Trolling for big trout may not be quite as exciting sport as the fly 
fishing where great numbers of small trout may be taken in a short time, 
but if you have never tried it, I assure you that it is great sport, neverthe- 
less. You can troll alone if you choose to row yourself, setting your stiff 
trolling rod in the stern, paddling or rowing just fast enough to keep your 
line from dragging on the bottom or fouling, but if a big fish is what you 



WHERE THE BIG TROUT LIVE. 



53 



are after, you will do much better to take along a companion and hire a 
boy who knows the pond, to handle the boat. 

Take a day when the sun is not too bright and start just after dinner. 
One is seated in the bow of the boat on a soft pneumatic cushion, and the 
other in the stern in a similar position. The tackle is gotten in order and 
pipes are lighted before the start is made. Your guide, who doubtless 
has caught many a monarch of the deep in his brief but eventful life, for 
all the lads about Allen's Mills are great anglers, rows you quietly along 
the east shore while you are admiring some of the most charming scenery 
you ever set eyes on, until you come to a point in line between a white 
birch tree on the western shore and a deserted barn high up on the hill on 
the opposite side, when he tells you it is time to look out for a "bite," not 
a "rise," here. 

You are on the alert for what you hope will happen, and what is very 
likely to if you have patience. It may be in five minutes, it may be half 
or even an hour, or longer, but your "bite" is pretty sure to come. You 
feel a tremendous yank on your line, then your reel begins to sing; after 
that you know what happens, for you are accustomed to the fly, and after 
trout are hooked they all act very much the same, dashing first this way 
and that until exhausted, or you have succeeded in drowning them. The 
monsters are not as hard fighters as the small trout, but will sulk on the 
bottom for a long time, and a good deal of patience is necessary, and con- 
siderable hard work as well, before one is finally landed. But the prize is 
worth the trouble. 

In olden times much larger fish than any I have mentioned were 
frequently taken from this pond, and I am sure that a little ancient history 
will be read with interest. The largest trout caught in this pond, of which 
there is any record, was taken a great many years ago, and weighed, with- 
out any exaggeration, thirty-one and three-fourths pounds. One John 
Daggett was the lucky fisherman. His son, John Atwell Daggett after- 
wards caught one weighing twenty-two and one-half pounds, and his 
grandson John, still later got one weighing sixteen pounds. The art of 
catching large fish seems to have run in the Daggett family. 

John W. Norton successfully landed a twenty-one-pounder a good 
many years ago, probably twenty or more, and his paternal grandfather 
has one weighing sixteen pounds to his credit. F. F. Backus of Farming- 
ton once landed a fish weighing fifteen and three-fourths pounds. Many 
others of great size, of which there is no record, have been secured, and 
hundreds of good size have been taken here. 



54 



WHERE THE BIG TROUT LIVE. 



Fishing through the ice was formerly practiced here to a considerable 
extent, but this is now forbidden by law. Isaac Webster, long dead, has 
the reputation of having taken more fish from this pond than any other 
individual. 

In 1883 the pond was stocked with black bass, with which it now 
abounds, great numbers being taken annually, some weighing as much as 
six pounds. In 1886 land-locked salmon were first placed in the pond, and 
more have been liberated there since. The fish are doing well here, and 
some were caught in 1897 which weighed over six pounds each. Both 
bass and salmon rise readily to the fly, and in a few years, if the fish con- 
tinue to do as well as they have been doing, the fishing here will be equal 
to the best. 

Salmon are often hooked, but it is illegal to capture these fish for 
several months to come, and they are promptly returned to the water. 
Salmon fishing will be good here when it becomes legal, and with both 
trout and salmon, the pond is sure to be well patronized by sportsmen. 
There is a small hotel on the shore of Clear Water Pond, for the accom- 
modation of anglers and tourists who wish to fish and hunt in that vicinity 
in the season. 



THE RANGELEY REGION. 



HE Rangeley region, as it is commonly called, in- 
cludes the entire chain of lakes in Franklin and 
Oxford counties so named by old Squire Rangeley, 
before many of us were born, and a large territory, 
taking in Rangeley, Mooselookmeguntic, Cup- 
suptic, Mollychunkamunk, Welokenebacook, Um- 
bagog and Kennebago lakes, also a good many 
smaller bodies of water, including the famous 
Parmachenee Lake, Loon Lake, Long Pond and 
others, one of which, Quimby Pond, was a partic- 
ularly attractive place in the season of 1896, for the 
reason that it had been closed to fishing a number 
of years, and being open that season, afforded some particularly fine 
fishing. 

In early years this was a famous region for hunting and trapping, 
and thousands of dollars worth of furs were taken from here each year. 
Mr. J. G. Rich, late a resident of Bethel, a famous hunter and a well 
known writer on sporting subjects was one of the earliest hunters and 
opened the first sporting camp in the region, at Middle Dam, which he 
called the "Anglers' Retreat," and which for many years was the most 
popular place in the entire lake region. The name still clings to the 
Middle Dam resort. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rich and their little son built themselves a home on the 
shore of Mooselookmeguntic Lake, where they remained about two years, 
when they moved to Metalluk Point on Mollychunkamunk Lake, and 
after remaining there six years again moved, going to Letter B, where 
Mr. Rich remained seventeen years, hunting, trapping and fishing for a 
living. 

When Mr. Rich first landed in the Maine woods he was thirty-two 
miles from a post-office or store of any kind, and his stock in trade con- 
sisted of thirteen steel traps, an axe, a few household utensils and eighty 




56 



THE RANGELEY REGION. 



cents in cash. He made a good thing out of his hunting and trapping, 
and laid up money. Mr. Rich died at Andover, Me., Feb. i, 1897. 

Among the early hunters in the Rangeley lake region were Capt. H. 
T. Kimball, Capt. Fred C. Barker, John Danforth and George Soule, who 
delight in telling their many thrilling experiences. 

The Rangeley of twenty or thirty years ago and the Rangeley of 
to-day have very little in common except the excellent fishing and hunt- 
ing, which, as everyone knows, can hardly be surpassed in this country or 
in fact in any other. 

The invasion of the vast wilderness by the steam horse of advancing 
civilization has wrought wonders, and though many of the old landmarks 
remain, there has been such progress that were it not for the lakes and 
mountains, the natural scenery of which cannot be effaced, the village 
itself would hardly be recognized by one who has not visited it in that 
length of time. 

The Rangeley region was popular as a hunting and fishing resort as 
long as twenty years ago, but sportsmen in those days were few and far 
between when compared with those of to-day. The farmer's son had the 
same love for rod and gun in those days that exists in the breast of his 
descendant of the present time, but the city business man had then hardly 
learned of the pleasures of a few days or weeks in the woods surrounded 
by all the comforts of modern hotels, yet within easy reach of the monarch 
of the forest and the speckled denizens of the lakes. 

In those days it was a journey of considerable magnitude from the 
city no farther away than Boston, and one to require many second thoughts 
before it was undertaken. The trip by rail to Farmington was not a 
pleasant one, the road being rough, and the cars far different from the 
palaces now in use. At Farmington one of Mr. Daniel Clark's stages was 
taken and the ride to Phillips was usually made in the evening. At 
Phillips a late supper was had at the Barden House, Mr. Samuel Farmer's 
well-known and popular tavern, or the Elm wood Hotel, of which Mr. E. 
D. Prescott was the proprietor for a number of years. 

Mr. Farmer, who moved to Newkirk, O. T., from Phillips, several 
years ago, was the pioneer hotel man in this region, opening the first 
hotel in Rangeley long before this became a popular summer resort. 
Since those days numerous hotels and sporting camps have sprung up in 
different spots, and there is no lack of modern conveniences. A sportsman 
can now find about any sort of accommodations he may desire. 

An early start was made the next morning on another stage, and 



THE RANGELEY REGION. 



59 



Rangeley was reached in time for dinner. But now all is changed, and 
the trip from the city to the heart of the wilderness is hardly worth 
mentioning. The Sandy River railroad was opened to travel in November, 
1879, and in 1S90 the Phillips & Rangeley road, the last link in the steel 
chain binding the forest to the city, was completed. The Dead River 
region is now easily reached by the Franklin & Megantic railroad, con- 
necting with the Sandy River road at Strong, and its extension, the 
Kingfield & Dead River railroad, terminating at Carrabassett, where a 
hotel has recently been erected. 

Away back in the old daj'S, years before railroads were even thought 
of, the old Greenvale House, burned some four or five years ago, was the 
leading hotel, and here most of the wealthy men who were in the habit of 
visiting this region, made their headquarters. This was before the 
Rangeley Lake House was built, when the Kennebago Lake House had 
just been opened under the name of Forest Retreat Hotel, the Mooselook- 
meguntic House was called the Soule Camps, and the Mountain View 
House was Camp Henry. That was in the days of camps, when hotels 
had yet to come. 

The present Rangeley Lake House, more than doubled in size and 
moved to the point three years ago, has twice since been enlarged, and is 
one of the best summer hotels in the state. The enlarged Mountain View 
House, Mooselookmeguntic House, Kennebago Lake House, Anglers' 
Retreat Hotel, Upper Dam House, Pleasant Island Camps, The Birches, 
Camp Bemis, Forest Camps, Quimby Pond Camps, and other resorts, 
furnish as good accommodations as can be found anywhere. 

Twenty years ago there probably were not more than a dozen or fifteen 
professional guides in the entire Rangeley region, where there are now a 
hundred or more in the business, and making a good living. Prominent 
among the old timers, some of whom are still in the business, were Cor- 
nelius Richardson, Ed Grant, Cal Pennock, Joe Lamb, Charles Soule, 
John Haley, George Soule, "Daddy" Clark, William Soule, Jerry Ellis and 
Joe Ellis. 

The neat and comfortable steamers now on the lakes were unknown 
at that time, and one or two sailing boats and a few row boats of uncertain 
quality were all the water craft to be found there. 

These answered the purpose then, when visitors were not very num- 
erous and nothing better was known, but would be laughed at in these 
later days of progress. 

The railroads may be fairly said to be largely responsible for the large 



6o 



THE RANGELEY REGION. 



increase in travel to Rangeley, for they have advertised the region far 
and wide, as well as having afforded every facility for travelling comfort- 
ably and cheapfy. 

Though the lakes have been constantly and successfully fished with 
fly and bait every season since the country was opened to the sportsmen 
many declare thai, the fish do not decrease at all, and that there is as 
good fishing to-day in every one of the lakes as there ever was, and in 
some of them it is said to be even better than a few years ago. The same 
may be said of hunting, particularly so far as the big game is concerned. 
Deer are more numerous than ever before, and moose are probably not 
growing any less in numbers, though caribou have not been killed here 
to any extent for a number of years. Birds were never seen in greater 
numbers than during the last three seasons, but the fur-bearing animals, 
bears excepted, do not seem to be as numerous as. in former times; at 
least there have not been as many trapped and killed of late as formerly. 

Rangeley has taken a decided boom, and is fast becoming one of the 
most popular summer resorts in the east. 

The opening of a new route, in the building of the Rumford Falls & 
Rangeley Lakes railroad and starting it in operation in the spring of 1896 
added considerably to travel to and from the lakes that season, and was a 
success from the start. The terminus of the road is at Bemis, long known 
as Camp Bemis, at the foot of Mooselookmeguntic Lake, where was built 
the only log railroad station in the world. The station is located on the 
old Camp Bemis garden plot, which will be remembered by every tourist 
who visited this resort under the old order of things. The origin of the 
log station is interesting. Miss Emily Graham, a Philadelphia school 
teacher first suggested the idea to Capt. Barker, proprietor of the camps, 
one afternoon while the two were out rowing, and were discussing the 
road, which was then only a proposed railroad. 

The idea struck Capt. Barker favorably, and he afterwards presented 
the matter, and the directors were so well impressed that they at once had 
the plans made and engaged Capt. Barker to take charge of its construc- 
tion. It is made entirely of logs cut in the woods in the vicinity. The 
main building is 20x40 feet in size, fronting the track, and is finished in 
one room in the regular rough log style, with the ticket office in the form 
of a bay window in the front. Large open fireplaces for burning logs are 
in each end of the large room, giving it in winter time a very cheerful 
aspect. The rafters are without covering of any sort. The smaller bag- 
gage room is connected with the main building by a wide awning supported 



THE RANGELEY REGION. 



by rustic columns which run the entire length of the station. The bag- 
gage room is 20x20 feet in size. 

In 1S69 the Oquossoc Angling association built a clubhouse at Indian 
Rock, some thirteen miles from Bemis. The first camps were built at 
Bemis soon after, and were the idea of George Shepard Page, Mr. Cranse, 
Charles Seymour of New Jersey, and Jay Cooke of New York, and at that 
time could only be reached by row boats. In 1875 C. A. J. Farrar put 
his first little steamer into Richardson Lake, and the next year Capt. 
Barker, then hardly more than a boy, put his first little steamer into the 
Mooselookmeguntic. 

Since that time progress has been rapid, sportsmen coming in greater 
numbers each year, until railroad connections became an actual necessity. 
Some years ago an extension of the Grand Trunk railway by the way of 
Andover was seriously considered, but the scheme fell through, though 
the projectors went so far as to secure a charter from the legislature. 

Back in 1878 or 1879 Capt. Farrar raised the stock for a telegraph line 
from Bryant's Pond, the end of the railroad, to his camps on the south 
arm of Richardson Lake. The wire was strung, trees being used in lieu 
of telegraph poles, and a girl who could make herself generally useful, 
and also knew something about telegraphy, was employed as operator. A 
few messages were sent over the line, but trees were blown down so often 
that it was impossible to keep it in repair, and besides that, the line was 
very little patronized, and proved to be a heavy loss from the start, so that 
the proi'ect was soon abandoned, and a large portion of the wire was taken 
down. The remainder has disappeared long before this, probably from 
natural causes. 

Rangeley and Haines' Landing are now connected with the outer 
world by telephone, and direct and prompt communication with one's 
friends in the city can be had with no difficulty, as the wires are nearly 
always in good working order. 

For beauty of scenery, mountains, valleys and forests, the Rangeley 
region is surpassed nowhere in the east, in few places in this country, and 
the water scenery cannot be beaten in the world. The territory included 
in the Rangeley and Dead River regions, combined, as they are usually 
classed together, is about 1600 square miles. The lakes and streams in 
this vast territory afford the best fishing for trout and salmon that can be 
found in the eastern states, without exception. There is good fishing in 
every lake, pond and stream, and anybody and everybody, practically, can 



62 



THE RANGELEY REGION. 



get all the fish they can take care of without enduring any of the hard- 
ships which sometimes accompan}' life in the woods. 

Rangeley village, situated at the head of the chain of lakes, is a 
delightful little village, whose inhabitants are hospitable and generous, 
and always give the stranger a warm welcome. Here are located the 
Rangeley Lake House, the largest and best hotel in the entire region, 
which has all modern conveniences, and furnishes as good accommoda- 
tions as most large city hotels; also the Oquossoc House, a small but tidy 
hotel. Good fishing is found in Rangeley Lake, but a few rods from the 
piazza of the Rangeley Lake House, but there is still better fishing 
beyond. 

Many private cottages dot the shore of the lake in every direction, 
and several are built upon the islands. Some of these cottages are very 
handsome structures and represent a large expenditure. New cottages are 
being built every season, and there is a prospect that another large hotel 
will be built near Rangeley village before many years. 

Mountain View, seven miles down Rangeley Lake, at the outlet of the 
lake and two miles from Haines' Landing, is one of the most charming 
places in the lake region, and it is among the most popular spots wiih 
tourists. Here, facing Rangeley Lake (whose Indian name is Oquossoc), 
is a large and modern hotel. Just across the cove rises Bald Mountain, 
and the White Mountains are plainly visible. Steamers are constantly 
plying between Rangeley village and Mountain View. Baid Mountain 
Camps, under the shadow of Bald Mountain on the Mooselookmeguntic 
Lake side, is a deservedly popular resort. 

Across the carry from Mountain View, at the head of Lake Moose- 
lookmeguntic, is situated Haines' Landing and the Mooselookmeguntic 
House. Lake Mooselookmeguntic is by far the largest of the lakes in the 
Rangeley chain, and it also contains the largest of the large trout and 
salmon for which the Rangeleys are noted. Many large trout and salmon, 
the former sometimes reaching nine. or ten pounds in weight, and the 
latter occasionally weighing twelve or thirteen pounds, are taken here 
each year. 

Capt. F. C. Barker's famous resort, "The Birches," is on Students' 
Island, not far from the centre of Mooselookmeguntic Lake, and six 
miles from Haines' Landing. From here a beautiful view of the lake is 
obtained, and this has been rightly termed one of nature's most beautiful 
spots. Steamers plying between Camp Bemis, Haines' Landing' and 
other points, always touch at Students' Island. Years ago a party of 



THE RANGE LEY REGION. 



63 



students spent their vacations on this island, and were always accompan- 
ied by Capt. Barker and one of his friends. From this the island took its 
name. Capt. Barker has written a book about it. 

Billy Soule's Pleasant Island camps, on Cupsuptic Lake, are famous 
the land over. On Pleasant Island Mr. Soule has ten or more log camps, 
which are usually filled with sportsmen during the fishing season, and 
that Billy's guests usually get all the fish they want goes without saying, 
as the French say, for the Cupsuptic has some of the most famous fishing 
grounds in the entire section of country. Pleasant Island is but about 300 
yards from the mainland, with which it is connected by a floating bridge. 
The island is but a mile and a half from Kennebago stream, which is 
noted as one of the best trout streams in Maine. 

Ten miles above Pleasant Island camps is Camp Cupsuptic, and three 
miles from here is a camp on Otter Brook. One mile from Camp Cup- 
suptic are situated Big and Little Burnt Mountains and Fox Ponds, also 
Upper Falls. Three miles from Camp Cupsuptic are the Big Meadows, 
and just beyond in the Grand Canyon, with walls fifty feet high, on the 
east of which is Sno w Mountain, and on the .west, Moose Ridge. Above 
this is Cupsuptic Pond, but half a mile from the Canadian Boundary. 

One of the best known of the lakes near Rangeley is Kennebago, and 
the Kennebago Lake House is little less popular than the lake itself. 
Here the two Richardson brothers, Cornelius and Phineus greet the arriv- 
ing sportsman and assure him of some of the best fishing he ever had in 
his life. 

The Middle Dam. Lake Welokenebacook, or the lower Richardson, 
as it is frequently called, is a popular place with sportsmen, and is consid- 
ered by many to be the best place in the entire region for early trolling. 
Within a short distance there is also plenty of excellent fly fishing. 

The pool at Upper Dam, between Mollychunkamunk and Mooselook- 
meguntic lakes, is famous for its mammoth trout, and here some of the 
best catches of the season are always made. There are ample accommo- 
dations for guests at the hotels at both Middle Dam and Upper Dam. 

Big game, especially deer and bears are plenty in the Rangeley region, 
and moose and caribou are occasionally killed here, while birds and other 
small game is reckoned by hundreds. 

Thousands of anglers and hundreds of gunners visit the Rangeley 
region every year, and so far as I have ever learned, are always very well 
pleased with the returns for their expense and labor. Days spent at 
Rangeley are always happy days. 



t 



64 THE RANGELEY REGION. 

Early in November, 1896, the Rangeley Guides' association, whose 
object is to protect the fish and game in this region, secure better service 
from the guides and a uniform price per day, etc., was formed, with the 
following officers: President, James Mathieson ; vice president, Freeman 
Tibbetts ; secretary, Arthur L. Oakes ; treasurer, George Oakes ; directors, 
Elmer Snowman, Charles Haley, Frank Nile, Aaron Soule, Al H. Sprague, 
Melvin Tibbetts, John Jay Wilbur. The association has a large member- 
ship and is growing in popularity among the guides and sportsmen who 
fish and hunt in the Rangeley territory. 



THE PHILLIPS PHONOGRAPH. 



6.5 



pioneer /T\air><^ 

Sports(r\ar/s paper. 

The PHONOGRAPH, 

(Weekly), PHILLIPS, MAINE, Devoted to 

MAINE 

FISHING AND HUNTING. 

Gives news each week during the Year, 
from Maine's Great Hunting 
and Fishing sections. 

Send 25 Cents for Three flonths Trial. 



J. W, BRACKETT, Publisher, 
Phillips, Maine. 



THE DEAD RIVER REGION. 



NE can scarcely determine just where the Rangeley 
region ends and the Dead River region begins, nor 
does it matter. The country in the immediate 
vicinity of the Dead River itself, and for miles to 
the north and east is known distinctively as the 
Dead River country, and I do not know that it is 
really of any importance just where the dividing 
line is. There are several sporting resorts that are 
sometimes spoken of as being in the Rangeley 
region, and sometimes as in the Dead River region, 
but this does not change their true location in the 
least, though it conveys a different impression to 
the mind of the uninitiated. 

A large portion of the Dead River country is known as the "burnt 
lands, " the wildest country it has ever been my pleasure to behold. The 
country is very mountainous, the green forests are dense, and the burnt 
lands stretch away for miles in every direction. 

The territory is dotted with ponds in every direction, many of them 
being separated only by a very narrow strip of land, and all of them are 
full of trout of one variety or another. Brook trout are the rule in these 
ponds, but in some of the larger ones mammoth lake trout or togue are 
found, and hundreds are caught every year. 

There is no section of Maine where small brook trout are more plen- 
tiful than in the Dead River region. I have known a good many anglers 
to catch from 100 to 200 in a day, and not a few have taken from 1000 to 
1500 on the fly in a week. Of course this would be a needless slaughter if 
all these fish were killed, but I am happy to be able to say that the camp 
proprietors insist that only what fish are needed for food, and a few to 
take home, shall be killed. All true sportsmen appreciate the wisdom of 
this, and gladly return their fish to the water after they have been landed. 
A few go so far as to return every fish they catch, but the majority save a 




THE DEAD RIVER REGION. 



69 



few of the larger ones and return the remainder. There are many 
streams in this region which afford excellent sport for those who enjoy 
stream fishing. Besides Dead river, of which there are two branches, 
and Carrabassett river, there are many smaller streams which do not 
deserve the name of river on account of their size, but which are full of 
lively speckled beauties. Alder stream and Stratton brook are among the 
best of the trout streams in this region. 

There are two ways of reaching the Dead River region by public 
conveyance. Both routes are the same as far as Strong, which is reached 
by the Sandy River railroad, from Farmington, the terminus of the 
Maine Central road. The Franklin & Megantic railroad takes the tourist 
from Strong to Carrabassett station, and from there the mail stage may 
be taken to Stratton or Eustis, or if Flagstaff or Lower Dead River is 
the destination, private teams from the hotels or camps must be 
taken. There is excellent fishing and hunting- right around Carrabassett 
station, and many sportsmen remain here, and usually meet with 
success. The Carrabassett House is a fine new hotel, with all modern 
improvements. 

By the other route the sportsman continues on the Sandy River 
railroad to Phillips, where the Phillips & Rangeley railroad is taken to 
Dead River station four miles south of Rangeley village. Here Mr. 
I. W. Greene's stage, which runs only during the fishing and hunting 
seasons, is taken. In Coplin plantation, ten miles from Dead River 
station, is situated Mr. Greene's farmhouse, which is in reality a 
modern hotel, and here supper is eaten. The house is on the bank of 
Dead river, and is a popular resort with sportsmen, particularly those 
who are fond of stream fishing. Game of all kinds and partridges in 
particular are very plentiful in this vicinity. Mr. Green has just com- 
pleted two handsome cottages for the convenience of parties who 
prefer a house to themselves. 

By either route a person may leave Boston in the morning and 
reach Eustis late in the evening the same day, or returning may leave 
Eustis at 7.30 a. m. and reach Boston at 9.30 p. m., the same day. 

Of all the public sporting resorts in the Dead River region, the 
"King and Bartlett Preserve" is the largest and best known. There 
are nearly thirty camps on the preserve, the home camps being 
situated on the shore of beautiful Big King Lake. On the 50,000 
acres of this preserve are twenty lakes, ponds, bogs and streams, all 
of them full of trout. Big Spencer Lake, three miles from the home 



7 o 



THE DEAD RIVER REGION. 



camps, is full of big togue, and in 1894 a togue weighing nearly 17 
lbs. was taken here. Brook trout are also taken from this lake. Big 
Spencer is the largest of the lakes in this vicinity, and is nine miles 
in length. 

Among the other ponds on this preserve are Little King Lake, 
Horse Shoe Pond, Parker Pond, Stony Pond, Porter Pond, Felker 
Pond, Beck Pond, Bear Brook Bog, Little Bear Brook Bog, all of 
which contain plenty of trout, and some of which have been stocked 
with land-locked salmon. There are good camps on the shore of six 
of these ponds. The woods about King and Bartlett are full of game, 
including deer, moose, caribou, bears, and small game, and ducks and 
geese frequently are in the ponds at flight time. Mr. Harry M. 
Pierce is proprietor of the camps on the King and Bartlett preserve. 
The home camps are sixteen miles from Eustis, by buckboard road. 

Nine miles from Eustis, on the King and Bartlett road, and on 
the shore of Deer Pond, are located Deer Pond Camps, owned by Mr. 
Will W. Douglass, son of the famous guide, Andrew S. Douglass. 
This is a charming spot, and the lake is unsurpassed for trout fishing. 

Kibby camps and Camp Jack, in the famous Kibby valley, are 
famous resorts, particularly popular with hunters for big game, and 
are not far from Deer Pond. Mr. Otis R. Witham is proprietor of 
the camps at Kibby and Camp Jack. 

Blakesley Camps and Spring Lake Camps, in this vicinity, are 
also popular resorts for sportsmen. 

Round Mountain Lake is a beautiful sheet of water, nine miles 
from Eustis and not far from the Megantic preserve, and is a favorite 
resort both in summer and in the hunting season. Mr. E. R. Smith, 
proprietor of the camps, is a pioneer in the sporting resort business, 
commencing business in company with his father, when but a mere 
lad 

Everybody who knows anything about Rangeley or the Dead 
River region knows, or at least knows about Ed. Grant, proprietor of 
the camps at Seven Ponds six miles above Kennebago, and not many 
miles from Tim Pond. The home camps are located at Beaver Pond, 
but there are good camps on the shore of several other ponds in the 
vicinity. This is a good place for both fish and game. 

Mr. Julian K. Viles, proprietor of the camps at Tim Pond guar- 
antees that trout will rise to the fly every day in open season, regard- 
less of the weather, and has thus far been able to back up his 



THE DEAD RIVER REGION. 



V 



guarantee. The trout are not large, averaging nine or ten inches in 
length, but there are thousands and thousands of them, and they are 
delicious. 

The Lower Dead River territory is full of game and fish, and 
many sportsmen consider this the best of the Dead River country. 
The Ledge House and the Mt. Bigelow House are in the heart of the 
hunting and fishing territory, and Carry Pond Camps are in a charm- 
ing location. 

Tufts Pond in Kingfield, Camp Saddleback and Quimby Lake 
Camps, near Rangeley, are favorite resorts, and there are still others 
in the Rangeley and Dead River territory, but I think all the more 
important ones have been mentioned. 

The "Dead River Guides' and Camp Owners' association" was 
organized Feb. 6, 1897, with the following officers: President, A. M. 
Jones; vice president, A. L. Savage; secretary, A. B. Douglass; 
treasurer, John Sylvester; collector, William Berry; directors, W. S. 
Emery, William Lockyear, Grant Fuller, F. M. Viles, A. B. Douglass. 
The objects of this association are to protect fish and game, secure 
equal wages for all competent guides, to further advertise the Dead 
River region, and in every possible way to contribute to the interests 
of the guides and of the sportsmen who visit that region. 



THE MEGANTIC PRESERVE AND CLUB. 



THE Megantic Preserve, which also includes some territory in the 
provinces, is the largest fish and game preserve, strictly speaking, 
as well as one of the best from the sportsman's standpoint, in the 
state, including, with the Canadian territory, about 250 square miles of 
land, mostly an unbroken wilderness. 

The Megantic Fish and Game corporation was organized in Bos- 
ton, in January, 18S7, being incorporated under the laws of Maine, 
February 15, and obtaining a charter from the province of Quebec, 
March 26, the same year. 

The club owns and leases a territory containing three lakes, 
twenty ponds, six rivers, eight smaller streams and eight bogs. The 
entire territory is an unbroken wilderness, abounding in all kinds of 
game which thrive in this climate, particularly moose, deer, caribou 
and bears, besides partridges, all kinds of water fowl and other 
smaller game. The preserve is 3000 feet above sea level, and in 
some points much higher. The club owns a large and convenient 
club house, a fish hatchery and more than thirty camps, scattered 
all over the preserve. The waters are full of trout and black bass, 
and at the present time land-locked salmon, which have been in- 
troduced in some of the ponds, are doing finely. 

The following bodies of water are included in the preserve : 
Ponds — (seven ponds), Beaver, Grant, Little Northwest, Long, Big 
Island, Little Island, L. Pond, Rock, Big North-South Boundary, — 
(chain of ponds), Bog, Long, Upper and Lower Pocket, Round, — 
(miscellaneous ponds), Arnold, Crosby, Horseshoe, Mud, Otter; 
lakes — Megantic, Rush, Spider; rivers — Arnold, Dead, Indian, Upper 
Kennebago, Upper Spider, Lower Spider; streams — Clear Water, 
Gore, Horseshoe, Indian; brooks — Bear, Dennison, Gold, Robinson; 
bogs — Arnold, Big Beaver, Cranberry, Caribou, Upper Hathan, 
Lower Hathan, Massachusetts. 

The principal camps are located as follows : Club House, 



THE MEGANTIC PRESERVE AND CLUB. 



73 



camps at Arnold Bog, Arnold Pond, Big Island (9), Big Northwest 
(3), Chain of Ponds (7), Crosby, Kibby Valley, Moose River (2), 
Massachusetts Bog, Spider River (2). 

Macannamac Lodge, the main club house, is situated on the 
southern shore of the beautiful Spider or Macannamac Lake. Inside 
the club house is a very cosy parlor, fitted up with everything to 
be found in the parlor of a city house, including piano and fire- 
place. The halls, dining room, sleeping rooms and everything 
about the club headquarters are fitted in good taste, and are spec- 
ially attractive to women and children who do not feel inclined to 
make the journey through the forest to the camps beyond. 

Moose, deer and caribou are frequently seen near the lodge, 
but are not as numerous as further in the forest, where thev 
abound. All kinds of small game are easily obtained here, how- 
ever, and the lake is full of fish, particularly black bass, while in 
Spider River, close by, there are plenty of trout. 

After a brief tarry at the club house the sportsman longs to 
be in the depth o the forest, and the start is made, taking the 
seven miles trail to the nearest camp on Crosby Pond, or he may 
take the launch to the Three Lakes, then the steamer on Lake 
Megantic to Woburn, and by buckboard road to Cameron's. A 
walk of one mile and Arnold Pond is reached; the pond is crossed 
and a walk of another mile and a half and you are at Crosby 
camp. Crosby is a small pond, about a mile and a half bv a 
mile, but it is full of trout of large size, and is a favorite water- 
ing place tor deer. From Crosby trips can easily be made to 
Upper Hathan Bog, half a mile distant, Lower, Hathan Bog, a 
mile away, and Cranberry Bog. Arnold Pond, before mentioned, 
is at the foot of Black Mountain, a very romantic spot, and here 
is a good camp. Mud Pond is but a quarter of a mile away, and 
here some very excellent •■ trout fishing may be found. Another 
quarter of a mile and Horseshoe Pond, also full of large trout, is 
found. A mile and a quarter beyond this is Otter Pond. 

Massachusetts Bog, where is one of the most charming camps 
on the whole preserve, is reached by an easy tramp of two and 
one-half miles from Arnold Pond. Three and one-half miles from 
Massachusetts Bog is a beautiful sheet of water called Northwest 
Pond. Here are located three excellent camps besides a private 
camp belonging to Mr. A. W. Gleason of New York. Little 



74 THE MEGANTIC PRESERVE AND CLUB. 



Northwest and South Boundary Ponds are each a quarter of a mile 
from here, and Grant Pond, which is particularly noted for its 
large and gamy trout, is but half a mile away. From Grant Pond 
it is but a mile to Big Island Pond, the largest and most beauti- 
ful of the Seven Ponds, and which derives its name from the large 
island in its centre. The club has nearly a dozen camps here, and 
Dr. George W. McAleer and Mr. J. W. Mason, two of the most 
prominent members of the club, have private camps. 

The club's fish hatchery is located here, and is extremely in- 
teresting to those who have never visited one. 

At Big Island Pond the club has recently purchased a tract of 
land one and a quarter miles square, bordering on the northern 
end of the pond, comprising a territory of about iooo acres and 
including the whole of Rock Pond. Here some very comfortable 
camps have been built. One-third of a mile from Big Island Pond 
is L. Pond, a favorite fishing resort, where one is almost always 
sure to fill a creel. 

From L. Pond one can visit Beaver Pond, one and a half 
miles distant, and from Beaver Pond go to Long Pond, a quarter 
of a mile distant. The last three ponds lie. in a territory sub- 
leased by the club to Mr. Edward Grant. 

From Big Island Pond to the camps on Long Pond, of the 
chain of ponds, is seven and one-half miles by easy trail. Long 
Pond is a beautiful sheet of water 3000 feet above the sea, with 
the most charming mountain scenery. The club camps are situated 
on a small peninsula recently purchased by the club, about midway 
of the pond, and a man and woman are employed to attend to 
the wants of guests. Dr. Heber Bishop, Mr. George A. Gibson, 
Mr. D. C. Pierce and Mr. A. W. Robinson of Boston, have 
private camps here. The fishing is excellent, especially in early 
June, when very large trout are taken. 

The Chain of Ponds consists of Round, Long, Upper Bog, and 
Lower Pocket Ponds, offering a variety of waters for the trial of 
the angler, and, as at other points in the preserve, the game is 
abundant. , 

The distance from the Chain of Ponds to the club house is 
ten and one-half miles by trail. From Chain of Ponds to Eustis 
s twelve miles by buckboard. 



THE FARMINGTON INDEPENDENT. 



75 



The Sporting Department - 

OF THE 

pai7r\iQ<£toQ lQdepei}deF)t, 

Makes this paper invaluable to all 
visitors to the Maine forests. All the 
news of hunting and fishing is pub= 
lished in season, and out of season, 
interesting articles upon these and 
kindred sports, including an extreme= 
ly valuable series of sketches by 
11 Winchester," will be printed. 

A fragrant breath of the Maine 
forests weekly for a year for $1.00. 



H. L. GOODWIN, 
Editor and Publisher, 
Farming ton, Maine, 
U. S. A. 



76 



THE MEGANTIC PRESERVE AND CLUB. 



The club employs a Maine game warden, who is also genera] 
superintendent of the preserve, and a Canadian warden who looks 
after the interests of the club across the border. Caretakers are 
employed during the winter to assist the wardens, prepare wood and 
ice for summer use, repair the camps, boats, etc., and look after 
things generally. 




O. L. SIMPSON OF N. Y. AND 8 1-4 LB. TROUT TAKEN NEAR HAINES' LANDING. 




HEALD POND. 



PART II. 



MOOSEHEAD LAKE. 



OR a good many years Moosehead Lake, the largest body of water 



in the state of Maine, has been an ideal fishing ground, and many 



is the monster trout that has been drawn from its depths. There is 
a tradition which is to the effect that once upon a time, many, many 
years ago — how many I should not dare to state — a lake trout weighing no 
less than 37 pounds was safely landed by an enthusiastic devotee of 
the renowned Izaac Walton, but I have never been able to obtain 
any authentic record of such a fish, and the tradition is no doubt 
more of a fable than anything else. 

However this may be, it is certain that a great many very 
large lake trout, and thousands of smaller fish have rewarded the 
anglers who annually cast their lines in Moosehead Lake. 

The lake is forty miles long, and varies from two to fifteen 
miles in width. The lake is dotted with islands of all sizes, and 
its shores for wild and picturesque beauty will compare favorably 
with the finest scenery on the American continent. Lofty hills and 
mountain peaks are visible in all directions, and beautiful green 
forests are on all sides. 

Mt. Kineo, the grandest of the mountains in the state, al- 
though not the highest, at the base of which is the Kineo House 
— one of the best and largest hotels in Maine — looms up in all its 
grandeur, and is really one of the most attractive points in the 
state. The Kineo House is in one of the most sightly positions 
on the lake, and its one hundred and fifty rooms are nearly 
always filled during the fishing season, and still later, during the 
hunting months, it continues to be a lively place. 




82 



MOOSEHEAD LAKE. 



Close beside this hotel is a large and handsome clubhouse, 
owned by a club of wealthy American anglers who spend the entire 
season there, ofttimes. 

There are many smaller bodies of water in the vicinity of 
Moosehead, which afford excellent fishing, and are easily reached. 
The east branch of the Penobscot, the Allegash, St. John and 
Aroostook rivers are reached by following the west branch of the 
Penobscot to Lake Chesuncook and thence north. There are ex- 
cellent camps at Lake Chesuncook, and sportsmen who wish to get 
away from civilization can find no better place to spend an outing. 

The outlet of Moosehead Lake is twelve miles from the ter- 
minus of the Bangor & Aroostook railroad at Greenville, and is 
the beginning of the Kennebec river. Comfortable camps tor 
anglers are found at Northeast and Northwest Carrys, at the head 
of the lake. 

Deer Island, about half way between Greenville and Mt. Kineo. 
is a favorite resort for sportsmen, and good camps have been built 
at a great many other points on the shore of the lake, so that 
there are a plenty of resorts for the tourist to select from. 

Chesuncook Lake is situated about twenty miles down the west 
branch of the Penobscot, and is a beautiful sheet of water about 
fifteen miles in length. The Chesuncook House, located here is a 
fine hotel, and has accommodations for twenty-five or thirty guests. 

The entire Moosehead Lake region is full of game of all kinds, 
particularly moose, deer, caribou and bears, and a large proportion 
of the large game killed in the state each year gets the death 
wound in this region. This is also in the heart of the lumbering 
territory, and some of the largest lumbering camps in the state are 
located within a short distance of the lake and on the two branches 
of the Penobscot river, beyond. ^ In the winter the lake is frozen 
over so solid that there is a great amount of heavy teaming across 
the ice, saving very long distances in travel. 

The Moosehead region is certainly well worth a visit from those 
who love nature in its primitive state. 

The territory north of Lake Chesuncook is not easily reached, 
but sportsmen are going farther into the wilderness each year, and 
new attractions are continually being discovered. 

Mr. Frank L. Shaw, principal of the Shaw Business college in 
the city of Portland, has recently purchased the old Morris farm, 



MOOSEIIEAD LAKE. 



83 



so-called, something like a hundred acres in size, and situated be- 
tween Moosehead and Chesuncook Lakes, and will remodel the 
buildings into a camp, which will be called "Camp Greenwood," 
where be will spend his vacations during the hunting and fishing 
seasons, and where his friends will doubtless be royally entertained. 
The farm is located about two miles from Chesuncook Lake and 
not far from several other lakes and ponds, having an area of 
some one hundred square miles. It is in the centre of a strip of 
country comprising nearly six hundred square miles, upon which 
there is no other human habitation, with the exception of an 
occasional lumber camp. 

January 15, 1897, the guides in the Moosehead region met at 
the Moosehead Inn at Greenville, and followed the good example 
set by the Rangelev guides, and organized the Moosehead Lake 
Protective association, which is to boom and protect Moosehead 
waters, and surrounding territory. 



THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 



A MAMMOTH cave was discovered up in the Allegash country in 
January, 1896, which has been explored by several parties since 
then, and which is held to be of much interest. 
Mr. F. O. Gould, superintendent of the City Hospital in Old 
Town, went on an exploring expedition through the lumbering region 
in the extreme northern part of Maine, and was for a short time in a 
camp on the shore of Allegash Lake, not very far from the north end 
of Chamberlain Lake, and about fifty miles north of Moosehead Lake. 
Allegash Lake is accessible only by tote roads from Chesuncook Lake 
up to Chamberlain, thence by crossing to the westward through the 
woods to Tom Lawler's camps on the lake shore. 

Mr. Gould was at Lawler's lower camp when he heard that a 
lumberman had discovered a cavern of considerable magnitude some 
distance beyond Lawler's more northern camp, and being curious about 
the matter, he decided upon investigating the story for himself. The 
result of his investigation was told the writer, who soon after went to 
the lumbering regions in search of adventure, but could not then visit 
the wonderful cave. 

It seems that in the early part of January a workman who was 
stopping at Lawler's camp, while tramping on the shore near the 
northwestern corner of Allegash Lake, three-fourths ot a mile or so 
from the camp, discovered a hole in the side of the hill, of which he 
had never heard, which in fact, had never before been discovered. The 
discovery came about in rather a remarkable way, and a hundred men 
might have gone as near the opening as this man did and never have 
noticed it. This workman, however, noticed the peculiar appearance 
of the bushes about it, and investigated to find the cause, and at the 
same time discovered the hole. The bushes looked as though steam 
or hot air had been blown upon them and then frozen. 

The man peered into the hole, and was so startled when he found 
he could not see the end of it that he fled in fright. He told the 



THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 



85 



story at camp, but was not believed until the following Sunday, when 
fifteen men went to investigate, and found it just as he had said. Not 
one of the fifteen men, however, dared to enter the hole, and no ex- 
ploration was made at this time. 

The excitement over the affair had not died out in the camp when 
Gould came along, and expressed the determination to enter the hole 
and find out what was inside. After considerable effort, he succeeded 
in inducing three men, Steve Buzzell of Old Town, one of the Law- 
lers and a man named Howe, to go with him, though all were 
thoroughly convinced that Gould would not have the courage to enter 
the cave. In this, however, they proved very much mistaken, for he 
went about the task at once upon arriving at the opening. 

When the party reached the mouth of the cave lanterns were 
lighted, and a vestibule of the labyrinth was entered. The men found 
it a good-sized passage, and walked in about ten or twelve feet with- 
out difficulty. Then they came to a great bowlder stuck right in their 
path. After feeling about they found a hole under each side of the 
bowlder — which they estimated to weigh ten or twelve tons — through 
which a man could crawl. After some hesitation Mr. Gould crept 
through one of the holes and found a large open space on the opposite 
side of the bowlder. The other men then crept through the narrow 
space, and the party began a thorough investigation of the surround- 
ings, which were far different from anything they had ever seen before. 

They found themselves in a narrow chamber of great height, 
which appeared to run off into an apex of tunnel shape, and running 
downward at an angle of about 45 degrees. The floor was mostly of 
solid rock, and was hard and smooth. After walking along four or 
five rods a large chamber, of a height so great that the lanterns did 
not reveal the top, was entered. 

The walls were found to be of rough rock, and the room was a 
regular bat cage, and the walls and crevices, and even portions of the 
floor were covered with them, and they were so dull and stupid that 
those within reach could easily be taken in the hands. It might easilv 
be imagined that this was the winter home of all the bats in North 
America, they were so numerous. 

Mr. Gould and his companions named this cavern the "Reception 
Hall." There was an opening in the floor something like two and a 
half feet square, and so irregular that it was hard to determine its 
shape. This opening slanted a very little, enough so that a person 



S6 



THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 



could keep a foothold, and Mr. Gould, determined to investigate the 
entire cave, at once proceeded to climb down. After about sixteen 
feet of this climbing he came to a sort of bottom, running off in a 
narrow rock-lined passage, at a downward angle for perhaps twenty 
feet or so. At the end of this tunnel the explorer was surprised to 
rind another large chamber. It was so large that it was not fully ex- 
plored, but Mr. Gould says that this cavern, which he named the 
"Drawing Room," is very extensive, and doubtless leads to still 
other chambers, though this party did not investigate further in 
this direction, for the reason that Mr. Gould could not induce his 
companions to go farther. 

Mr. Gould returned to his companions, who had not entered 
•'Hades," as they chose to term the lower regions of the cave, and 
proceeded to make a more thorough examination of the "Reception 
Room." He discovered a second passage leading off about twenty 
feet, making a sharp turn, then going straight ahead about a hundred 
feet, to another large chamber, which was called the "Ball Room," 
from a fancied resemblance to the ball room of civilization. Mr. 
Gould did not dare to venture further in this direction for fear of 
losing his way, and his companions, who had not followed him. 

During Mr. Gould's visit to the "Ball Room" one of his com- 
panions had discovered a third opening from the "Reception Room," 
and had found another small apartment just within the walls of the 
main room. The passage to this room was under the big rock, and 
was so small that only a very small man could get through. 

The party had been in the cave more than three hours, and, 
fearing that the oil in their lanterns would not last, they did not dare 
to remain longer. 

Early in the following spring some of the lumbermen who had 
been at Lawler'. camps in the winter, visited the cave and explored 
rive or six rooms that were not entered by Mr. Gould and his 
companions when they made the first explorations. 

In September, 1896, a party of newspaper men explored the 
cave, but no further discoveries were made. The party named one 
of the rooms the "Fisher's Well," because tracks and other signs 
of a fisher cat were discovered here by the Penobscot Indian who 
went with the party as their guide. Traces of foxes were also 
found, along with some broken shells of wild duck eggs, which had 
doubtless been consumed by his foxship. This party also consider 



88 



THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 



it probable that the cave has long been the home of wild animals 
of different species, and doubtless many a bear and catamount has 
slept in comfort in the different apartments. 

Two or three parties of sportsmen have also visited the cave 
and found it as here described, but have added nothing to the 
general information in regard to it. This is the largest cave in 
this part of America, and guides and sportsmen think that when 
an easier route to the lake has been provided, tourists will be likely 
to flock to it in great numbers, and that to such it will become T 
for a time at least, one of the most attractive spots in New England. 



THE NEW NORTHEAST. 



^HE Aroostook River region, or the "New Northeast," as it is 



frequently called, is comparatively new territory to the fisher- 



man and gunner, having first been made easy of access by the 
building and extensions of the Bangor & Aroostook railroad in the 
last few years. This is an immense territory, including the whole 
of northern Aroostook county, though but a small portion of it 
has yet been opened to the world by the steam railroad. Portage 
Lake, in the extreme north, affords some of the best fishing in 
Maine, and from the fact that it has been fished but very little, is 
very attractive to sportsmen. 

In the vicinity of Mt. Katahdin are Schoodic Lake, Seboois 
Lake, Twin Lakes, Millinockett Lake, and numerous ponds and 
streams, all of which are alive with trout, anxious to take the fly 
or worm. Typical log camps, which, however, are supplied with 
all necessary conveniences for comfortable living, are located on 
the shore of all these lakes, and a hearty welcome and a good 
meal are always awaiting the new arrival. 

The Katahdin region is one of the best localities in Maine for 
hunting, where deer and other large game are found in good num- 
bers, the deer being particularly numerous, and moose and caribou 
being oftener seen in this locality than in any other part of the 
state. 

Nicatous Lake, at the head of the Passadumkeag River, is a 
famous resort, and the home of mammoth trout, as w r ell as of 
smaller fish. Here are located the sporting camps of the famous 
"Jock" Darling, game warden, long a notorious poacher, for whom 
the officers were continually hunting, until he reformed a few years 
ago. Mr. Darling, who died in January, 1898, had the reputation 
of being, and probably was the most expert woodsman and most 
experienced guide in the state. At all events his services were at 
all times in great demand during the fishing and shooting seasons, 




9- 



THE NEW NORTHEAST. 



and he was considered an infallible authority on all matters relating 
to these sports. 

Schoodic, just north of Brownville and not very far from the 
Katahdin Iron Works, though not very far into the wilderness, is a 
favorite fishing and hunting resort. The lake is twelve miles long 
and averages about two miles in width. The scenery about this 
lake is magnificent, the air is excellent, and the hardwood growth 
on the shores, particularly the white birch forests, make the land- 
scape bright and charming, while the birds and larger game in the 
woods prove a great attraction to sportsmen from far and near. Mr. 
Benjamin Ballard has some fine camps on the shore of the lake, 
and not far from the station on the Bangor & Aroostook railroad. 

On the shore of Seboois Lake, two miles from West Seboois 
station are two camps owned and controlled by Mr. Edwin Stetson, 
which may be reached by either land or water. The row across 
the lake from the station is particularly delightful. 

Trout Pond, six miles from West Seboois, is a small body of 
water which has become so popular among a class of sportsmen 
who spend weeks and even months in the woods each year, that a 
colony of cottages has been located on its shores, and several ladies 
usually spend the summer with their husbands here. 

Norcross is situated at the foot of North Twin Lake, which is 
connected with Pemadumcook, Ambejejus and South Twin lakes. 
There are steamers running to all points, including a landing with- 
in about fifty rods of Millinockett Lake. Nahmakanta Lake is but 
a short distance to the west, and is easily reached. Resorts for 
sportsmen are numerous in this vicinity, and accommodations of 
almost any sort can be found. 

The Gerrish Camps at North Twin Dam, on Millinockett Lake, 
a mile or a little more above Norcross, are among the best in the 
state, and probably are as popular as any, to say the least. The 
main camp is situated 72 miles from Bangor, and is on a fine, 
high elevation, from which a fine view of the surrounding country 
may be obtained. From the veranda of the camp one of the 
grandest views of Mt. Katahdin can be had. 

Millinockett Lake is in distance about six miles from the 
station of the same name. There are numerous camps in different 
locations on the shore of this lake, and a score of competent guides 
have headquarters within a short distance from here. The scenery 



THE NEW NORTHEAST. 



93 



near here is fine, bears are frequently seen before winter sets in, 
and deer, caribou and moose are quite numerous. To see deer 
swimming in the lake is no uncommon thing. Birds are also 
particularly numerous in this region. 

Togue Pond, immediately at the foot of Mt. Katahdin, is a 
famous trout pond, where fish may be taken at almost any time, 
and some of them are famous for their size. 

Littleton, Bridgewater, Mars Hill, Blaine and Westfield are the 
ports of entry to the great region surrounding Ashland, Ox Bow 
and Masardis, and are intersected by the Big Machias and Fish 
waters, all tributaries to the Aroostook and St. John. The Presque 
Isle river and tributaries afford the best of sport to those who care 
more particularly for small trout fishing. 

The famous salmon pool in the Aroostook river at Caribou, is 
about half a mile from the hotels, and a line was never wet in 
better salmon waters in this or any other state. Thousands of fish 
may be seen to jump from the water any day after the fish begin 
to run. None of the fish are very small, and they run up to about 
fifteen pounds and sometimes over that in weight. These salmon 
are remarkable fighters, and one of the big fellows will tax the 
strength and skill of the most experienced fisherman, and will 
make a fight never to be forgotten by the angler. The hatchery 
at Caribou is one of the best in the state. 

Lake Madawaska, eighteen miles from Caribou, is the objective 
point of many sporting parties and is one of the best lakes for 
fishing in this region. The Fish River lakes are all connected by 
navigable thoroughfares, so that travel from one to another of the 
lakes is easy and comfortable. McCluskey and Square lakes, fourteen 
and twenty miles from Caribou, are favorite fishing resorts, and 
good camps and guides are always found at each, as well as at 
other lakes and places that have been mentioned. 

The Ashland, Masardis, Ox Bow and Portage Lake region extends 
in a westerly direction from Portage Lake, the Aroostook River and 
Ox Bow plantation to the Canadian line, a distance of about 75 
miles. It not only includes that part of Aroostook county west of the 
Aroostook river, but also includes parts of northern Penobscot and 
Piscataquis counties. It is a vast wilderness with but a single small 
settlement, located at Seven Islands in the St. John river in the whole 
territory. It is a broken primeval wooded country, consisting of small 



94 



THE NEW NORTHEAST. 



mountains, hills, ridges, swells, valleys and level stretches. The 
country is full of tote roads, comfortable for foot travel, but quite 
unsuited to bicycling. 

This region contains numerous lakes, small rivers, streams and 
brooks, which are found on every hand. Many of the lakes are several 
miles in length, though none of them are what would be called large 
bodies of water. The lakes most visited by sportsmen are the Moose- 
leck, Munsungun, Millemagasset, Big Machias, Clayton, Pratt, Round 
Pond, Big Fish, Long and Portage. All these waters are plentifully 
supplied with trout, varying in size, from the tiny fellow, up to six 
pounds or more in weight. No black bass or pickerel are found in 
these waters, which are natural trout waters. 

Moose are quite numerous, particularly in the Big Machias section, 
and deer and caribou are plentifully scattered throughout the entire 
territory. Partridges are found by thousands and are often nearly as 
tame as barnyard fowl. Bears, wildcats and other animals of a similar 
character are seen occasionally, and all kinds of small game is abundant. 

Charles G. Reed, with headquarters at Ashland, runs a fine line 
of camps in the Machias, Portage Lake and Squa Pan region, reached 
by team and by canoeing up the river. He devotes his entire time to 
sportsmen, furnishes everything, including boats, canoes and guides, 
and makes his guests at once feel comfortable and at home. The 
camps are the regulation log cabins and are substantial and tight, 
making them warm and comfortable. There are camps at Big Machias 
Lake, Pratt Lake, Clayton Lake, and Big Fish Lake. 

W. A. Atkins of Ox Bow owns good camps, and others are 
owned by Fred McNally, Ira McKay and Charles Peterson, all of 
Ashland. 

Many ladies visit this section each year, and they always find the 
accommodations, though not elegant or luxurious, comfortable and 
sufficient. 

To appreciate the wonderful hunting and fishing grounds of the 
"New Northeast," one must visit them. Whatever particular lake or 
camp the sportsman visits, he is sure of a hearty welcome, courteous 
attention, good guides, plenty of either fish or game, or both at the 
right season, and reasonable prices. I one wants luxuriance the 
camps of the Megantic club should be visited, but be sure you go 
with a member of the club. 

Mr. Albro E. Chase, principal of the Portland high school, has 




I ER CURIOSITY EXCITED. 




ON MOOSEH EAD LAKE. 



THE NEW NORTHEAST. 



99 



recently built a camp for his own private use, near Smyrna Mills, on 
the line of the Bangor & Aroostook railroad, and will spend his 
summers here. Mr. Chase is an enthusiastic sportsman, and is a 
great admirer of the New Northeast. 

The amount of large game shipped over the Bangor & Aroos- 
took railroad has increased very rapidly each year since the opening 
of the road. The shipments for the past four years over this road 
have been as follows : 

Deer. Moose. Caribou. 
Shipped in Oct., Nov. and Dec, 1S94, 1001 45 50 

" " " " " 1895, 1581 112 130 

" " " " " 1896, 2245 133 130 

1897, 2940 139 78 

In 1S97 the open season on moose and caribou was from Oct. 
15 to Dec. 1 only, but half as long as in the former years 
mentioned. 

The Bangor & Aroostook railroad issues a folder called the 
"Angler's Pathfinder," which is a very good directory of the waters 
of the New Northeast and the Moosehead region, Avhich will be 
sent to any angler who asks for it. 



ODDITIES IN MAINE GAME. 



IRST and last the state of Maine has furnished the sporting world 



with a good many oddities in game, particularly in the shape of 



animals of different varieties, which were perfect albinos. Many 
of these have been mounted and in some cases have brought the 
owners a good fat sum. In several cases, however, the animals have 
not been preserved, and the hunters have deprived themselves unwit- 
tingly, of quite a revenue. 

The first and only pure white moose that I ever knew of in this 
state, was shot on the north side of Mt. Saddleback, not far from the 
town of Madrid, early in November, 1895, by a Mr. Sargent of Grafc- 
ton. This remarkable specimen of the moose tribe was a very large 
bull with a fine set of antlers, and dressed just 651 pounds. The 
moose was mounted whole, but where it is to-day, I have been unable 
to learn. An albino moose is about as rare as a hen with teeth, and 
very few have ever been seen, I think not more than half a dozen. 

Albino deer are much more common than albino moose, though 
a pure white animal of this kind is seldom seen. Spotted deer are not 
very rare, and in some cases the white predominates. These are not 
strictly albinos, though they are sometimes called that. Of all the 
albinos killed in Maine during the season of 1896, Mr. A. A. Howard 
of Lewiston secured the most valuable, a monster buck deer, as white 
as snow. The buck was killed up in the Katahdin Iron Works region, 
quite early in the season. Mr. Howard formerly lived up that way 
and is thoroughly acquainted with the woods thereabouts. He was 
accompanied by Messrs. J. R. Gibbs and Eugene Gibbs, both of Lew- 
iston. The party put up at "Teen" Moores' farmhouse, ten miles or 
so north of Brown ville, and during their stop each got a deer. The 
white buck was one of a herd of eleven deer. 

During the season of 1S95, late in October, a snow white deer 
was shot in the town of Linneus by Zebulon and William Williams 
of Hodgdon. They both saw and fired at the white animal at exactly 




MAINE CENTRAL RAILROAD. 



IOI 



SPRING 
FISHING 



is a 6ood subject for consider= 
ation at this season of 
the year 



WOULDN'T 
IT BE A 
GOOD 

IDEA 

to look over 
YOUR 
TACKLE 
and repair 
any broken 
tips, to re= 
plenish 
your Stock 
of Flies, or 
fix that 
hole in the 
Landing 
net , by 
which you 
lost tha.t 6= 
pounder 
last year? 



=WRITE US= 




PLAYING A DOUBLE. 



WOULDN'T 
IT BE A 

GOOD 

IDEA 

to look up 
the Best 
Fishing 
Grounds in 
the Ran^e= 
ley Lakes , 
M oosehead 
Lake, and 
those new 
streams in 
Aroostook 
and Penob= 
scot count = 
ies. 



ABOUT BIG GAHE IN MAINE. 

. . .Fine Map Sent Free. . . 



Ul£ Maine Central Railroad 

forms the all rail route to all Maine resorts. 

CclSt 3. Flv= ^ ea ^ * n our direction an d we will send an illustrated guide 
" with a nice map. Mention "Maine Woods and Water 

Folk," and send to F. E. BOOTHBY, 

GEO. F. EVANS, Gen'l Passenger Agent, 

Vice Pres't and Gen'l Manager. Portland, Maine. 



IOJ 



ODDITIES IN MAINE GAME. 



the same moment, so it is impossible to tell which fired the fatal shot. 
When they fired neither knew what the animal was, and they were 
greatly surprised to find that it was a deer. They failed to realize the 
true value of so rare an animal as a perfect albino deer, and cut it up 
for food before showing it to anyone. 

October 2, 1895, Mr. Ralph Dyer of Farmington shot two deer in 
the town of Phillips, one of them about a quarter white. I have 
heard of some half dozen other deer, partially white, which have been 
killed within two years, but the pure white animals are very rare. 

In the dining room at the Shaw House, in Eustis, are two very 
handsome spotted deer, each at least half white, which attracted a 
great deal of attention at the World's Fair in Chicago. Both were 
shot within a few miles of Eustis village. 

Last season two cream-colored deer were killed ; one a doe, was 
shot near the Katahdin Iron Works, and the other, a small buck, 
got its death wound near Amherst village. These deer were not of 
the buckskin variety, but were a genuine cream color, with now 
and then a place a pearly white with a tint of salmon. Another 
new tint in a deer's coat was brought to light in Dedhani in No- 
vember. It was a big buck, four years old or more, and a perfect 
specimen. Instead of the rusty gray coat which most deer have, 
this one was beautifully dappled, making it look like an overgrown 
fawn. Several deer with a dark flank and black lines along the sides 
of the belly have been killed recently, and two nearly black deer 
have been seen, though none of this color have been killed to my 
knowledge. 

Deer that have been wounded and have recovered are often killed, 
and some cases of this kind are nothing short of wonderful. Early 
last October Jerry Dunn of Costigan killed a deer which had lost 
one of its forelegs below the knee. The whole leg was very small, 
giving the impression that the hurt had been received w r hen very 
young. The other leg was unusually large and well developed, and 
appeared to have been capable of doing double duty since the loss 
of its mate. 

Mr. Mitchell of Shirley shot a deer that has puzzled the hunters 
who knew of it considerably, in October, 1S96. It was a buck 
weighing 160 pounds, and hornless. There not only were no horns 
but no velvety sprouts to indicate that the horns had been delayed. 
As deer do not shed their horns until much later in the season than 



ODDITIES IN MAINE GAME. 



1 07 



the date on which this animal was killed, the idea has been ex- 
pressed that this animal is the forerunner of a new breed of horn- 
less deer. There is no reason for such a theory as this, however, 
for of course the animal was nothing more or less than a freak of 
nature. 

Last winter Mr. William Cooper of Milo, a well-known taxid- 
ermist, received a perfect mature albino porcupine, for mounting. 
The animal, which was shipped to the taxidermist in a barrel, alive, 
had the bright pink eyes of the genuine albino. When the animal 
rolled itself up into a ball no spines showed, and the effect was 
very beautiful. It looked more like a big ball of fluffy white silk 
than anything else. 

A while fox and a black fox were shot in the Dead River 
country last year. I have also seen a snow white albino ruffed 
grouse, and have heard of an albino crow, though I never saw one. 
I should think such a bird would be a curiosity indeed. 

Albino caribou are much more rare than albino deer, and it has 
been a good wmile since one was killed in this state, I believe, and 
but a very few have ever been placed on record in this state or 
country. 



WOMEN WHO HOTTT. 



EVERAL years ago Mrs. George Walker of Newton Centre, Mass., 



daughter-in-law of Congressman Walker, shot a large moose at 



John's Pond, in the Kennebago Lake region, gaining great noto- 
riety by her feat. At that time the killing of a moose by a woman 
was a thing almost unheard of, though several women have since 
done the same thing. 

Mrs. D. S. Thompson of Livermore Falls is a woman who has 
many times accompanied her husband on his hunting and fishing trips, 
and as an angler she has few superiors. She is also a crack shot with 
the rifle, and has at least two deer to her credit. Mr. Thompson is a 
devoted sportsman, and never lets an opportunity to go to the woods, 
pass by. Mrs. Thompson always accompanies him, and gets as much 
pleasure as he does out of camp life. She is an expert with the fly, 
rod, and has landed a five-pound salmon and several trout of the same 
weight, unaided. Her first deer was shot in the fall of 1894, up in 
the Dead River region. This trip both her husband and her son 
accompanied her, but her deer was the first shot by the party, though 
her husband and a friend each got one a few days later. Mrs. 
Thompson is also fond of partridge hunting, and has killed a great 
many birds. 

Probably no person, man or woman, ever enjoyed a moose hunt 
more than did Miss Zella Milhau of Brooklyn enjoy a hunt in the fall 
of 1895, during which she shot and killed a big bull moose, near Pratt 
Pond, in Aroostook county. The party included Mrs Mary Dudley of 
Presque Isle, Miss Lucy F. Tanney of Houlton, Miss Milhau and Mr. 
Wm. F. Penney of New York, besides the guides, one of whom I 
afterwards heard tell the story of the hunt. The destination of the 
party was Pratt Pond or lake, about sixty miles north-west from 
Presque Isle. The day the party arrived in camp, Mr. Penney and one 
of the guides found the trail of two deer, but did not think it worth 
while to follow that trail until the guide suggested that by doing so 




WOMEN WHO HUNT. 



1 09 



they might strike the trail of a moose, which was really what they 
were after. A tramp of three or four miles brought them to the bank 
of a small stream where they found four bucks quietly feeding. At 
the approach of the men the deer were off in an instant. This 
rather disconcerted Mr. Penney, but the guide imitated the call of 
the doe and soon had the largest buck back again and within range. 
Mr. Penney shot this buck without difficulty. Four days later, Nov. 
8, 1S95, the first moose track was struck, and Miss Milhau became 
famous. All the party, with the single exception of Mrs. Dudley, 
left the camp at daylight. Miss Milhau, Miss Tenney and one of 
the guides went in one direction while the others took a different 
path. Each party struck a trail not far from camp, and about ten 
o'clock the young ladies were brought to a stop by the guide. 

"Now's your chance," he whispered. "If you can't bring down 
a moose now you never can. There's as fine a fellow as I ever saw." 

"All right," replied Miss Milhau, not appearing in the least 
excited. "But I don't see the moose.', 

"Sh," whispered the guide. "Don't talk so loud. Don't you see 
him behind those two little saplings?" 

The girls looked in the direction indicated, and sure enough 
there stood a big bull moose, nibbling at the branches of a small 
evergreen tree, and not more than a hundred feet from them. Miss 
Milhau didn't waste any time but quietly raised her rifle to her 
shoulder, took careful aim and fired. The first shot failed to kill the 
animal and he jumped out into the open, where Miss Milhau quickly 
killed him with a second shot. The moose was a battle-scarred 
veteran, and the guide said that the scars on his neck indicated that 
he had taken part in many a fight. The animal was estimated to 
be ten years old, and was a very large and heavy moose. There 
were nine points on the antlers. Mr. Penney shot a smaller and 
younger bull the same day, and these two were all the moose killed 
by this party on this trip. Miss Milhau avows herself very fond of 
moose hunting, and well she may be. 

Miss Grace A. Hobert of East Bridgewater, Mass., always ac- 
companies her father on his fishing excursions, and spends several 
weeks in the Rangeley region each summer. The experts with rod 
and fly say she is as good a hand at fly casting as the best of them, 
and she always makes a splendid record, of which any angler might 
well be proud. She is very fond of the sport and enjoys life in the 
woods as well as her father, which is saying a good deal. 



no 



WOMEN WHO HUNT. 



Miss Hattie M. Richards, 23 years old, of 130 West S6th street, 
New York, whose father, J. R. Richards, owns Camp Rustic, at the 
Chain of Ponds, shot and killed one of the largest bears ever killed 
in the Dead River region, August 24, 1S97, the second shot from her 
rifle proving fatal to the monster, which weighed over 400 lbs. Miss 
Richards had shot several deer, but this was her first bear. She is an 
expert with both rod and gun, and dearly loves life in the forest. 

Scores of women now whip the waters for trout in Maine, with 
a knowledge and ability that would astonish their sisters who do 
not fish, and a good many don hunting costume in the fall of the 
year and give chase to the deer, caribou and moose, and mayhap 
the bear, with their husbands or brothers, kill their game in the 
same way and enjoy the hunt as much, even though some of their 
friends may consider it unladylike — which it certainly is not, if all 
ladies who hunt are like those I have had the pleasure of meeting in 
the woods, and out. 



WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 



^HE following is a list of reliable guides from all parts of the 



state, from whom any further information regarding any particu 



lar location may be obtained at any time. 

Adams, I. R., Stratton. 
Allen, Fred R., Farmington. 
Anderson, Charles, Smyrna Mills. 
Arnold, Ambrose, Shirley. 
Atkins, William, Ox Bow. 
Attean, Mitchell, Old Town. 
Attean, John Jr., Old Town. 
Austin, Frank W., Fort Kent. 
Averill, D. C, Temple. 
Ballard, Benj., Schoodic. 
Bartlett, Reuben, Schoodic. 
Bennett, Daniel, Wilson's Mills. 
Bennett, Edgar M., Wilson's Mills. 
Bennett, Ernest, Wilson's Mills. 
Bennett, Archie, Wilson's Mills. 
Bell, Louis, Smyrna Mills. 
Berry, W. M., Eustis. 
Blethen, Bailey, Abbott. 
Boynton, Llewellyn, Norcross. 
Brackett, Fred, Stacyville. 
Brackett, Thomas D., Carrabassett. 
Blackwell, Dion, Flagstaff. 
Brackett, O. R., Flagstaff. 
Brown, C. R., Patten. 
Brown, James, Alton. 
Brown, Fred, Schoodic. 
Brown, Albert, Katahdin Iron Works. 
Bumps, A. D., Milo. 




n6 



WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 



Burgess, Joseph, Eustis. 

Butterfield Bros., Patten. 

Butterfield, Wesley, Patten. 

Burbank, E., Flagstaff. 

Bucknam, Walter, Wilson's Mills. 

Byron, B. O., Linneus. 

Calder, Fred, Kineo. 

Calder, John, Kineo. 

Callaghan, D. R., Greenville. 

Campbell, Charles, Carrabassett. 

Capino, Frank. Greenville. 

Campbell, Gordon, Eustis. 

Carr, Nat., Rangeley. 

Carey, Thomas, Veazie. 

Carleton, G. M., Rangeley. 

Child, A. M., Weld. 

Chase, Francis, Moro. 

Chase, Owen, Milo. 

Classian, Sebathis, Old Town. 

Cole, Samuel, Greenville Junction. 

Colbath, Miles, Greenville Junction. 

Collins, John, Rangeley. 

Collins, James, Rangeley. 

Condon, Charles, Moro. 

Conley, Martin, Katahdin'Iron Works. 

Coburn, C. C, Patten. 

Coburn, H. A., Weld. 

Cooper, George, Patten. 

Copeland, Ed., Patten. 

Coughlin, John, Katahdin Iron Works. 

Corlis, Albert, Patten. 

Coolidge, Alvin, Upton. 

Crandall, B., Burleigh. 

Crummet, A., Patten. 

Crummet, Orville, Patten. 

Crocker, H. S. Lexington. 

Crocker, Hiram, Lexington. 

Cushman, H. R. Norcross. 

Curtis, Delbert, Monticello. 

Cummings, , Caribou. 



WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 



"7 



Curtis, Frank, Perham. 

Cram, F. G., Grindstone. 

Currier, A., Ox Bow. 

Cutting, Charles H., Andover. 

Cutting, Will. Andover. 

Cutting, George H., Andover. 

Cutting, Oscar, Andover. 

Crozier, Will, Milo. 

Crozier, Fred, North Twin Dam. 

Cricker, James, Norcross. 

Crosby, Rufus, Rangeley. 

Craft, Benj., Stark, N. H. 

Davis, Charles, Monson. 

Davis, Herbert A., Monson. 

Davis Bros., Hersev. 

Davis, Joseph, Stillwater. 

Davis, Frank, Stillwater. 

Davenport, Alonzo, Chesuncook Lake. 

Dana, Thomas, Kineo. 

Daisey, Washington, Norcross. 

Daisey, John, Norcross. 

Daisey, George, Norcross. 

Daisey, Alvah, Norcross. 

Daisey, Charles, Norcross. 

Day, John H., Eustis. 

Day, George, Eustis. 

Daggett Mark, Eustis. 

Danico, Henry E., Stratton. 

Darling, Augustus, Rangeley. 

Decker, Frank, Stillwater. 

Dennis, Joseph, Old Town. 

Dill, J. J., Stacyville. 

Dine, George, Masardis. 

Dill, v Henry, Rangeley. 

Dickey, George, North Twin Dam. 

Douglass, Fred, Monson. 

Douglass, Andrew S., Eustis. 

Douglass, George W., Eustis. 

Douglass, W. W., Eustis. 

Douglass, Augustus B., Eustis. 



ri8 



WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 



Douglass, A. B., Flagstaff. 
Dohoney, Con, Kineo. 
Doane, Ivory, Veazie. 
Dorman, Melvin, Presque Isle. 
Donahue, E. L. Flagstaff. 
Dolbier, Bert E., Kingfield. 
Dudley, LeRoy, Stacyville. 
Dudley, Mark, Stacyville. 
Duff, James, Old Town. 
Dunham, Silas, Phillips. 
Edgerly, Byron, Costigan. 
Eastman, John, Millsfield, N. H. 
Emery, W. S., Eustis. 
Eames, Harvey. Flagstaff. 
Ellingwood, Fred, Upton. 
Esler, George, Sebec. 
Estes, Thomas, Stillwater. 
Evans, Ralph, Monticello. 
Farley, Clarence, Bridgewater. 
Farnum, Edward, Norcross. 
Farris, G. W., North Twin Dam. 
Fowles, B. L., Boyd Lake. 
Fowles, Linden, Boyd Lake. 
Fortin, Charles, Norcross. 
Folsom, Levi, Kineo. 
Folsom, Homer, Kineo. 
Fowles, Belia, Norcross 
Fowles, Fred, Medway. 
Fortiner, Charles, Norcross. 
Flint, A. R., Ashland. 
Flint, Pearl, Wilson's Mills. 
Flint, Arthur, Wilson's Mills. 
Flint, Spot, Wilson's Mills. 
Francis, Joseph, Old Town. 
Francis, Sabatha, Old Town. 
Francis, Henry, Old Town. 
Francis Mitchell, Olamon. 
Francis, John M., Olamon. 
Fuller, Martin L., Rangeley. 
Fuller, H. R., Temple. 



KING AND BARTLETT CAMPS 



123 



The Sportsman's Paradise. 

^ip<£ ar>d Bartlett: <?amps, 

Dead I^iver r^ecjioi?, (nair^e. 

Prospectus: — King and Bartlett Camps are situated in the heart of the 
Dead River region, about midway between Rangeley and Moosehead Lakes and 
at an altitude of 1500 feet above the level of the sea, in the midst of a forest, 
and near which a natural lithia spring has been recently discovered. This is 
practically a new country for sportsmen, as it has been fished only four years, 
thus obviating the trouble with many fishing grounds, that is, not having been 
fished to death. King and Bartlett Lakes abound with square tails ranging in 
weight from one to four pounds, and frequently one is landed that weighs five 
pounds, or more. They are very gamy fish and a three-pounder will keep a 
common angler extremely busy until he is landed. One mile from the main 
camp is Little King and Bartlett Lake. This lake was stocked four years ago 
with land-locked salmon and will be open for fishing this year for the first time, 
thus ensuring, unless all signs fail, an abundance of excellent salmon fishing. 
Two miles from the main camp the fisherman comes to Big Spencer Stream, 
where can be had five miles of the best dead or quick water fishing one could 
wish for in his wildest dreams. Camps have been built here, connected with 
which are Rangeley boats for the accommodation of those wishing to remain a 
day or more. As sample of what can be done here, we give the following : W. 
J. Epting, E. Biddell and two friends, all of Philadelphia, Pa., in eight hours' 
fishing in this stream, caught 1000 trout, all of which were returned to the water. 
Four miles from the main camp is Big Spencer Lake, where new log cabins 
have been built and new Rangeley boats put in the lake and everything put in 
first-class condition for a person or a party to stay as long as he or they wish. 
The lake abounds in trout or togue, weighing from one to twenty pounds, thus 
assuring an abundance of sport. The forests surrounding this region abound in 
game of all kinds, moose, deer and caribou being seen daily. 

Expense: — The rates are $2.00 per day for any time under two weeks; 
any time over two weeks, $10.50 per week, Guides will be furnished upon 
application. 

How To Get There : — Trains leave Union Station, Boston, Mass., via B. 
& M. R. R., Eastern Division, from track No. 13 at 9 a. m., every day except 
Sunday. Buy your ticket from Boston, Mass., to Eustis, Me., and return, 
($13.00 for the round trip) and take a buckboard from Eustis to the camp. 

References : — Owing to lack of space, I give but three references, but 
will be pleased to furnish others upon application. Mr. Howard Beck, No. 56 
Wall Street, New York, N. Y. Mr. J. W. Vivian, No. 183 Congress Street, 
Boston, Mass. Mr. W. J. Epting, 2005 Green Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Opening Of The Season: — The season will open about the Middle of 
May. For any further information required, address HARRY PIERCE, Eus- 
tis, Me. Or, F. H. Lathrop, (Boston Correspondent), 72 Rutland Street, 
Boston, Mass. 



I2 4 ' wh O THE GUIDES ARE. 

Fuller, U. Grant, Stratton. 
Gardner, Ernest, Smyrna Mills. 
Gaj r , E. G., Farmington, 
Gerrish, Luther M., Norcross. 
Gerrish, Frank, Norcross. 
Gerrish, Wesley, Brownville. 
Giles, Steven, Fatten. 
Gile, Benj.. Rangelev. 
Gile, Philbrick, Rangeley. 
Godfrey, Arthur, Old Town. 
Gray, Granville M., Old Town. 
Grant & Swett, Ox Bow. 
Grant, Ed., Beaver Pond. 
Grant. William, Beaver Pond. 
Green. Luther, Norcross. 
Green, Charles, Flagstaff. 
Greenleaf. J. B.. Abbott. 
Guild, W. D., Temple. 
Hale, Charles, Norcross. 
Hall, John. Greenville. 
Harris, Charles, Milo. 
Harris, Benj. C, Brownville. 
Harris, Elmer E., Brownville. 
Haskell, Alfred, Schoodic. 
Haskell, A. R.. Schoodic. 

Hawthorne, , Schoodic. 

Haynes, Bert, Amherst. 
Haynes, Guy, Amherst. 
Harris. C. S.. Milo. 
Hale, John, Norcross. 
Hale, Elmer, Norcross. 
Hale, Dudley, Norcross, 
Hale, Daniel, Norcross. 
Haile, Laforest, Norcross. 
Hall, P. C, Stratton. 
Harlow, H. H., Dead River. 
Harlow, H. S., Dead River. 
Harlow, J. G., Dead River. 
Haley, Charles, Rangelev. 
Haines, Will, Rangeley. 



WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 



Haley, Ora, Rangeley. 

Haines, David, Strong. 

Harnden. Charles, Phillips. 

Heath, Walter C, Norcross. 

Hewev, Robert, Andover. 

Hewett, Herbert. Stratton. 

Hevwood, D. E., Camp Caribou, 

Hodgkins, W. L., Lake View. 

Hodgkins, Cyrus, Costigan. 

Hobbs, W. L., Milo, 

Hobbs, B. C, Schoodic. 

Hobbs, Bert F., Brownville. 

Hopkins, D. W., Norcross. 

Houston, Bert, Perhani. 

Houston, George, Perham. 

Howard, M. C, Brownville. 

Holmes, Henry, Norcross. 

Howlett, Wm. M., Bridgewater. 

Hobbs, Henry, Allen's Mills. 

Horton, Herbert R., Eustis. 

Hinkley, Eben, Rangeley. 

Hinkley, Ebenezer, Rangeley. 

Hinkley, Clarence, Rangeley. 

Hinkley, Vid, Rangeley. 

Herrick, John, Rangeley. 

Hill, Clark, Rangeley. 

Houghton, J. B., Weld. 

Hunt, I. O., Norcross. 

Hunt, J., Stacyville. 

Hussey, Ed., Guildford. 

Hussey, E. W., Abbott. 

Huson, Hazen D., Sprague's Mills. 

Hutchins, David, Katahdin Iron Works. 

Huston, Albert, Caribou. 

Higgins, John C, Allen's Mills. 

Higgins, E. M., Allen's Mills. 

Huntoon, John, Rangeley. 

Huntoon, George D., Rangeley. 

Huntoon, George H., Rangeley. 

Huntoon, William, Rangeley. 



126 



WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 



Ireland, James, Burleigh. 
Jones, A. M., Stratton. 
Jones, Ellis, Stratton. 
Jones, E. S., Stratton. 
Jones, George C, Carritunk. 
Kalton, John, Ox Bow. 

Kennedy, , Greenville Junction. 

Ketchum, Louis, Old Town. 
Ketchum, John F. , Robinson's. 
Knight. Z. B., Brownville. 
Knight, Ernest, Schoodic 
Lacrosse, Joseph, Kineo. 
Lane, Henry, Monson. 
Lane, C. F., Stillwater. 
Lanev, Ed., Greenville. 
Lambert, Bernice, Eustis. 
Lander, Herbert S., Eustis. 
Leman, Sewal, Monson. 
Lishness, Payson, Eustis. 
Linnel. Marshal, Wilson's Mills. 
Lowell, Albion T., Norcross. 
Longlev, Silas, Flagstaff. 
Lockvear, William, Eustis. 
Luce! F. G., Allen's Mills. 
Lufkin, Weston, Madrid. 
Lufkin, Archie, Madrid. 
Lyon, Newell, Old Town. 
Lyshon, Charles, Alton. 
Mansell, Allen, Greenville. 
Mason, Murray, Patten 
Masterman, E. G. Moosehead. 
Marston, Charles E., Andover. 
Mayo, Joseph, Stratton. 
Mathieson, James, Rangeley. 
McKay, Robert, Perham. 
McKay, Ira D., Ashland. 
McKinney. W. S., Patten. 
McKinney, Frank, Patten. 
McKinney, Ira, Patten. 
McLain, A., Brownville. 



WHO THE GUIDES ARE 



129 



McLellan, Frank, Old Town. 

McManus, , Moro. 

McPheters, Abner, Old Town. 

McPheters, Andrew B., Costigan. 

McPheters, Reed, Costigan. 

Mc;Pheters, Walter F., Costigan. 

McXallv, Fred, Ashland. 

McCard, B., Rangeley. 

Meservey, Timothy, Greenville Junction. 

Mitchell, Oscar, Kineo. 

Mitchell, John B., Old Town. 

Mitchell, John D., Old Town. 

Mitchell, A. T., Shirley. 

Mitchell, B. D., Andover. 

Mitchell, William, Andover. 

Mosher, William E., Farmington. 

Morris, Clair, Kineo. 

Moriarty, William, Old Town. 

Moody, D. A., Stratton. 

Morse, Steve, Rangeley. 

Moore, Herbert L., Rangelev. 

Myers, William, Rangeley. 

Nason, Caldwell, Patten. 

Nephane, John, Old Town. 

Nephane, Newell, Old Town. 

Newton, John W., Andover. 

Newton, Harvey, Andover, 

Newton, George M., Andover. 

Nichols, Charles, Kineo. 

Nichols, Peter M., Old Town. 

Nichols, Louis, Old Town. 

Nichols, G. W., Old Town. 

Nicols, Fred, Old Town. 

Oakes, George, Rangeley. 

Oakes, K. W., Rangeley 

Oakes, John, Rangeley. 

Oakes, Arthur L., Rangeley. 

Oakes, Irvin, Rangeley. 

Oglebie, Andrew, Rangeley. 

Olson, John, Wilson's Mills. 



130 WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 

Oneal, James, West Seboois. 
Orcutt, Leon W., Ashland. 
Packard, Willard, Bridgewater. 
Pallard, R. N., Masardis. 
Palmer, Linn, Patten. 
Patterson, Willmont, Rangeley. 
Perkins, Emery, Boyd Lake. 
Peavey, Clarance, Ox Bow. 
Peavey, George, Ox Bow. 
Perry, Daniel, Sherman. 
Perkins, Solomon, Smyrna Mills. 
Palmer, Herbert, Patten. 
Pomroy, Vestus, West Seboois. 
Pomroy, Daniel, West Seboois. 
Pond, William H., Old Town. 
Pond, Frank, Old Town. 
Pooler, John. Stillwater. 
Powers, Charles T., Norcross. 
Powers, John, Norcross. 
Powers, Freeman, Norcross. 
Porter, Henry, Andover, 
Porter, Robert, Ashland. 
Porter, Rufus, Rangeley. 
Porter, Will, Rangeley. 
Porter, Frank, Rangeley. 
Priest, Monford, Medway. 
Priest, Charles, Medway. 
Priest, Horace, Medway. 
Phillips, Charles, Stratton. 
Quint, John S., Eustis. 
Randall, Charles, Milo. 
Randall, Phil, Katahdin Iron Works. 
Randall, Charles, Roach River. 
Rankin, Ed., Sebec. 
Reed, Fred, Medway. 
Reed, Alvah, Medway. 
Richardson, W., Sprague's Mills. 
Richardson, Cornelius, Kennebago. 
Richardson, Phineus, Kennebago. 
Ronco, John T., Old Town. 



WHO THE GUIDES A RE. 



Ronco, Peter W., Old Town. 
Rigby, Will, Moro. 
Roberts, John, Monticello. 
Robenson, Alex, Grindstone. 
Rogers, L. S., Brownville. 
Ronco, Alfred, Greenville. 
Ronco, George, Greenville. 
Roundv, Melvin, Old Town. 
Roberts, A. M., Andover. 
Royal, Eil., Rangeley. 
Robarge, Alex, Camp Caribou. 
Robertson, Adolph, Weld. 
Russell, Elliott, Rangeley. 
Sawyer, Hosier, Jr., Masardis. 
Sawyer, Andrew, Masardis. 
Savage, Frank, Jr., Eustis. 
Savage, Albion, Stratton. 
Sargent, Herman,* Madrid. 
Scott, Victor, Norcross. 
Sawtelle, A., Allen's Mills. 
Scribner, M. P., Stratton. 
Shay, Sebathis, Old Town. 
Sholer, Fred, Smyrna Mills. 
Smart, Thomas, Chesuncook Lake. 
Smith, Baxter, Chesuncook Lake. 
Smith, C. G., Abbott Village. 
Smith, Charles, Chesuncook Lake. 
Smith, Eugene, West Seboois. 
Smith, Eugene, Costigan. 
Smith, Fred, Brewer. 
Smith, George, Greenville. 
Smith, H. C, Monson. 
Smith, Norman' West Seboois. 
Smith, Norman, Old Town. 
Smith, Henry, Ox Bow. 
Smith, I. C, Greenville. 
Smith, James A., Rangeley. 
Sockbesin, Nicholas, Old Town. 
Sockleaxis, Francis P., Old Town. 
Soule, Eugene, Rangeley. 



132 WHO THE GUIDES ARE. 

Soule, Aaron, Rangeley. 

Soule, Charles, Rangele} . 

Soule, Leslie, Rangeley. 

Southard, Charles, Sprague's Mills. 

Spearin & Ardon, Ox Bow. 

Spearin, A. L., Olamon. 

Spearing, John, Orano. 

Spencer, Jewett, Costigan. 

Spencer, James, Veazie. 

Spencer, Fred, Costigan. 

Sprague, Alvah, Rangeley. 

Spinney, Russ, Rangeley. 

Spinney, Will, Allen's Mills. 

Stevens, D. G., Henderson. 

Stevens. J. W., Henderson. 

Stinchfield, H. L., Norcross. 

Stimpson, F. H., Smyrna Mills. 

St. Ober, Joseph, Eustis. 

Standish, George W., Flagstaff. 

Stetson, Wesley, Rangeley. 

Story, Robert, Wilson's Mills. 

Skofield, Fessenden, Weld. 

Stockbridge, Ellsworth, Weld. 

Swett, Walter, Moro. 

Swett, Waler, Ox Bow. 

Swett, Henry, Weld. 

Swett, Chester, Weld. 

Swett, Charles, Weld. 

Swett. Ezra, Weld. 

Sutherland, George, Portage Lake. 

Sylvester, John W., Eustis. 

Sylvester, William A., Eustis. 

St. John, William, Golden Ridge. 

Tarr, L. F., Kingfield. 

Taylor. W. G., Stratton. 

Tainter, Abel, Weld. 

Thombs, W. R., Monson. 

Thomas, George P., Eustis, 

Therrian, Ned, Eustis. 

Tibbetts, Frank, Katahdin Iron Works. 



WHO THE GUIDES ARK. 



133 



Tibbetts, F. E., Milo Junction. 
Tibbetts, Frank, Milo. 
Tibbetts, Freeman, Range ley. 
Tower, Sebathis, Old Town. 
Toothaker, Charles, Rangeley. 
Tracy, M. M., Stacyville. 
Trask, Harry, Weld. 
Tremblav, Henry, Greenville. 
Turcott, Peter, Greenville. 
Twombly, Walter, Rangeley. 
Tyler, M. S., Blanchard. 
Vaughn, Frank, Greenville. 
Viles, Julian K., Eustis. 
Walker, B. R., Island Falls. 
Welch, N. M., Katahdin Iron Works. 
West, Charles, Houlton. 
West, Charles, Moro. 
White, Alfonso, Old Town. 
White, E. M-, Old Town. 
Whitcomb, Arthur, Easton. 
Whitehouse, Ed., Sherman Mills. 
Winslow, Arthur, Westfield. 
W T itham, Otis R., Eustis. 
Wing, Warren, Flagstaff. 
Wing, Cliff, Flagstaff. 
Wilbur, Warren, Rangeley. 
Wilbur, John R., Rangeley. 
Wilbur, Joseph, Rangeley. 
Wilbur, John J., Rangeley. 
Witham, Charles, Madrid. 
Woodcock, George, Carrabassett. 
Wyman, Myles H., Eustis. 

This is not a list of the registered guides of the state, but a picked 
list of men whom the author has good reason to believe are thorough lv 
reliable and trust-worthy. 



PUBLISHER'S NOTES. 



WE desire to call the attention of sportsmen to the advertisements 
in this book. They are all thoroughly reliable, interesting 
and newsy in the best sense of the word. Patronize those 
who advertise here. 

We are indebted to the Phillips Phonograph and to the Bangor & 
Aroostook railroad for several of the fine half-tone engravings in this 
work, also to these and to the Maine Central, Portland & Rumford 
Falls, Sandy River, Phillips & Rangeley and Franklin & Megantic 
railroads, and to the several steamboat companies and hotels and camps 
in the hunting and fishing regions of the state, for many favors 
received. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 



Introduction, 3 

In Early Days, 5 

Animals Native in Maine, 8 

Birds Native in Maine, 9 

Fishes Native in Maine, 11 

Imported Game Birds, 14 

The Noblest in the Wood, 16 

Moose Calling, 26 

Caribou and Deer, 31 

Fur-Bearing Animals, 34 

Some Maine Game Birds, 43 

Fish and Fishing, 47 

Where the Big Trout Live, 51 

The Rangelev Region, 55 

The Dead River Region, 68 

The Megantic Preserve and Club, 72 

Moosehead Lake, 81 

The Mammoth Cave, 84 

The New Northeast, 91 

Oddities in Maine Game, 100 

Women Who Hunt, 108 

List of Guides, 1 15 



INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 



An Aroostook Hunter, Frontispiece. 

In Early Days, 7 

The Chuckor Partridge, 14 

Moose Shot at Dead River by Leon A. Bump of Wilton, 17 

Mounted Caribou, 18 

Locked Deer Heads, 19 

Bringing in a Deer, 20 

Trophies from the Forests of Maine, 37 

An Old-Time Maine Logging Camp, 3S 

Hunting Ruffed Grouse, 39 

Ruffed Grouse on Her Nest, 40 

Hooked, 50 

C. E. Wheeler and 16^ lb. Trout, 57 

Camp at King and Bartlett, 67 

Woodland Scene, 71 

O. L. Simpson and 8/4' lb. Trout, 77 

20 Mooselookmeguntic Lake Trout, Weighing 68 1-2 lbs., 78 

Great string of Rangeley Trout, 79 

Heald Pond, Jackman, 80 

A Popular Summer Resort. 87 

Moosehead Lake from Mt. Kineo, 89 

Alder Stream, 95 

In Camp at Lake Macwahoc, 96 

Her Curiosity Excited, 97 

On Moosehead Lake, 9S 

Playing a Double, 101 

Mountain View House, 103 

Famous Trout Pool at Upper Dam, 104 

Interior of Camp at Birch Island, Cupsuptic Lake 105 

Kennebago Lake, 106 

W. T. Patten's n-lb. Rangeley Lake Salmon, 11 1 



BOSTON & MAINE RAILROAD. 



137 



Boston & flaine 
Railroad. *m 

The Great Railroad 
System of New England. 

Reaches more 

Fishing and Hunting Resorts 

than can be found in any other section of the 
country within a much larger area. 

The numerous lakes and streams of 

|Vfeu/ ^a^pstyire, \Jer[t\oi)t, Qaqada apd tyq 
(r\aritim<? prouip^s 

Offer unexcelled attractions, and they are all reached by this great system. 

Full particulars regarding routes and rates can be obtained at any 
principal office of the Company, or by addressing General Passenger 
Department, B. & M. R. R., Boston. 



D. J. FLANDERS, 

Gen'l Pass'r and Ticket Agent. 



138 INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 

A Camp at Beaver Pond, 112 

Pine Point Camps Lake Webb, Weld, 113 

Greene's Farmhouse and Cottages, Coplin, 114 

The Rangeley Lake House, 119 

Aroostook Beauties, 120 

Whither Away? 121 

Aroostook Salmon Jumping the Falls, 122 

Bemis, from the Lake, 127 

The Birches, 128 

An Aroostook Scene, Front Cover. 



I 



ADYERTISKMKNTS. [39 

Bald Mountain Camps. 

THESE camps, accommodating forty people, were erected in the fall of 
1897. They are delightfully located at the foot of Bald Mountain, 
on the shore ot Mooselookmeguntic Lake. The scenery at sunset is 
unsurpassed in the Rangeley region. 

The Middle Grounds, famous for big speckled trout, are within a 
stone's throw of these camps. The Shark Grounds (so called) are within 
one mile; Stony Batter, where is found excellent fly fishing, one-half mile ; 
Little Mud Pond, three-quarters mile; Big Mud Pond, three miles; Kenne- 
bago River, one and one-half miles. 

Guests will find every comfort here at reasonable rates. Address 

E. B. WHOBFF, Proprietor, Haines' Landing, Maine. 



Attention Sportsmen! 

Sportsmen or parties desiring to spend a few 
weeks on a farm on the shore of a beautiful lake, 
where there is excellent trout and salmon fishing, 
and hunting, and where rates axe low, may learn of 
several such places by addressing the author of this 
book. Any information in regard to Maine resorts 
will be cheerfully given free of charge. Address 

H. L. GOODWIN, Farmington, Maine. 



